Florida Guard Assists Afghan Children

This is from CentCom:

Two Afghan children are receiving lifesaving treatment in the United States, thanks in part to the efforts of members of the Florida Army National Guard serving in Afghanistan.

Earlier this year, medical personnel working with the 53rd Infantry Brigade near Kabul, Afghanistan, identified two local boys -- 2-year-old Azad Kofi and 8-year-old Tamin Sawari -- with congenital heart defects who desperately needed surgery. One soldier, Dr. (Col.) Ronald Renuart Sr., evaluated the children. Renuart was on the medical team assigned to the brigade functioning as lead for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix IV, at Camp Phoenix.

Renuart, who as a civilian doctor practices osteopathic medicine in Jacksonville, Fla., said the children's outlook was grim if they did not receive proper treatment.

"Congenital heart defects are such that these children would not be expected to live past their teenage years," Renuart explained. "In the United States we can usually repair these heart conditions within the first few months of life. Over there, there's nobody that can do it."

Renuart contacted staff at the Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville to find help for the boys. After a few well-placed phone calls and e-mails, Azad and Tamin were on their way to the United States for treatment