Wednesday March 26, 2003

Rehumanizing collateral damage

Yesterday many of us went to a hospital where wounded people are being taken. We went into the wards to talk with patients and their families and hear from physicians about their injuries. One was a 5-year-old girl with major spinal cord injuries from shelling; another was a 12-year-old boy who had a large cut in his abdomen from shrapnel, and his intestines were coming out. He and 11 other members of his family were injured by shrapnel while in their home two days ago and were hospitalized. Many others were awaiting or just coming out of surgery for removing shrapnel. -Peggy Gish, Christian peacemaker in Baghdad.