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Carissa Cardone
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E-mail: Cardone@tricomassociates.com

For Immediate Release

LIONS SEND IRAQI GIRL HOME WITH NEW VISION

Lions Clubs and Community Celebrate Thanksgiving
and Say Farewell to Zahraa

MOSINEE, WISCONSIN, USA, November 12, 2007 – After bringing a seven-year-old Iraqi girl to the United States and helping to restore her sight, the Lions clubs of Crandon and Wausau, Wisconsin, will share with Zahraa an American tradition—Thanksgiving. At a traditional holiday meal on Thursday November 15, Zahraa will begin her goodbyes to the community that brought her to the United States as she prepares to return to Iraq.

“During this season of thanks, we are grateful for the people and institutions that changed Zahraa’s life by restoring her vision, including Sergeant John Kempen, Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Dr. Flaherty, the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin, Zahraa’s host family Lions Diane and Emil Wasniewski and all the others who helped make her journey possible,” said Frank Bocek, past president of the Crandon Lions Club, who organized the effort.

Zahraa came to the United States in August with swollen and blistered corneas, which prevented her from seeing well and caused her great pain.  Dr. Kevin Flaherty, M.D., who specializes in corneal external disease at the Eye Clinic of Wisconsin, was able to restore her vision.

“When Zahraa arrived in the U.S., she could barely make out the large ‘E’ on the eye chart,” Dr. Flaherty said.  “Today she can see the fourth line and her vision will continue to improve over time as the cornea tissue swelling goes down.”

The Lions clubs of Crandon and Wausau, WI worked with Sergeant John Kempen, United States Army who first met Zahraa while stationed in Iraq. “We always threw candy to the kids and gave them the presents people sent from the U.S.,” said Sgt. Kempen, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division. “The kids love it; and they really go after the candy, but Zahraa could never get any.  She was holding her hands over her eyes in pain.”

The Lions of Wisconsin were able to work through many channels to help Zahraa and her grandmother obtain American visas.  The Lions Clubs International Foundation funded Zahraa and her grandmother’s travel to the U.S.  A Wausau-based Lions host family (the Wasniewskis) housed Zahraa and her grandmother during their four-month stay in the U.S. 

Lions are well known for their work to end preventable blindness, which began in 1925 in response to a challenge from Helen Keller. Over the past 16 years, Lions have given $202 million in grant funding for sight-related projects such as cataract surgeries, building eye hospitals and clinics, vision testing in preschool and elementary schools, distributing sight-saving medication to prevent river blindness and training eye care professionals.

Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with 1.3 million members in approximately 45,000 clubs in 201 countries and geographic areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit www.lionsclubs.org.