A 4-month-old Iranian girl with a rare heart
condition who was affected by President Donald Trump's travel ban is "out
of the woods" and making good progress after her life-saving surgery last
Friday.
Fatemeh Reshad and her parents' plans to enter
the United States with a travel visa for the infant's surgery were canceled
last month after Trump's executive order on immigration and refugees from seven
predominantly Muslim countries.
The girl and her parents arrived in Portland, the
home of some of their relatives, a few days later after being granted a waiver
the same day Trump's ban was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
Reshad underwent surgery Feb. 17, a procedure her
physicians say was more complicated given that it's typically performed within
days or weeks, rather than months, after birth. The family's delayed arrival to
the U.S. would not have necessarily been enough time to affect her condition,
the girl's doctors said during a news conference Monday.
"Her heart function looks beautiful,"
said Dr. Laurie Armsby, associate professor and interim head of the hospital's
Division of Pediatric Cardiology. "We're really pleased with how the
surgery went and have a very strong sense at this point that she's going to
recover fully and go on to lead a happy and healthy life."
Reshad's uncle, Samad Taghizadeh, a U.S. citizen
who lives in Portland, stood alongside the girl's doctors, thanking U.S. Sen.
Jeff Merkley, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and immigration attorneys for being
instrumental in getting the waiver for the baby's family.
"In the beginning, I didn't have any hope
for my family coming here," Taghizadeh said. "But I tried, and I was
surprised how the people in the US have helped."
credit: Association Press
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