Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Dr. Joseph Gruss examines the disfigurement of Muhammed "Hamoody" Jauda's face Monday morning at Children's Hospital and talks with Randy Smith and Julie Robinett Smith about Tuesday's reconstructive surgery. Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Muhammed "Hamoody" Jauda enters Children's Hospital Monday morning with his foster parents, Julie Robinett Smith and Randy Smith, to see Dr. Joseph Gruss prior to reconstructive surgery Tuesday. Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Hamoody sits with Randy Smith while waiting for the doctor at Children's Hospital on Monday. Dan Bates / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Under anesthesia, Muhammed "Hamoody" Jauda lies on the operating table at Children's Hospital on Tuesday as Dr. Joseph Gruss feels scar tissue, bone and skin on which he will begin plastic surgery.   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Blinded Iraqi boy 'Hamoody' gets asylum to stay in U.S. 8/19/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 Blind Iraqi boy living in Snohomish has 2nd surgery 'Hamoody' was brought here, a victim of Iraq's violence. With his medical treatment nearly finished, he may have to return. By Yoshiaki Nohara and Sharon Salyer Herald Writers SEATTLE -- Muhammed "Hamoody" Jauda, an Iraqi boy brought here for medical treatment, on Tuesday received his second reconstructive surgery to reduce the disfiguring scars on his face. "Everything went well," said Dr. Joseph Gruss at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. Hamoody, 5, is scheduled to return to his Snohomish home today. As he grows, the blind boy will probably need more surgery to make his face look normal, the doctor said. It depends on whether he can stay in America. His visa is set to expire in May and can't be extended, his foster parents, Randy and Julie Robinett Smith, said. The Smiths have opened their Snohomish home to Hamoody since May 2006. They now hope to become his legal guardians to raise the boy. "We hope he would go to college, get a great job, get married and have a family," Julie Robinett Smith said. "That's our goal. There's no reason he can't do that." Her biggest fear is that he would have to go back to war-torn Iraq. The blind boy will not have much of a chance there, Smith said. She plans to have an immigration attorney file paperwork on behalf of Hamoody so that the boy can make a case for asylum and stay in Snohomish, Smith said. The process may take a few years, but Hamoody will be able to stay with the Smiths while the petition is pending. Hamoody was brought from Baghdad to Snohomish by Healing the Children, a Spokane-based international nonprofit group, in 2006 to receive medical treatment. Rebecca Snyders, executive director of the group's Oregon and Western chapter, said that the group expects Hamoody will be sent back to Iraq this summer, but it won't stop the Smiths from trying to keep him in Snohomish. Julie Robinett Smith said she just wants what's best for Hamoody and his family. "We do love his family," she said. "We love them because of their child." Hamoody has come a long way to recover from his injuries. The Shiite boy was shot in the face by Sunni insurgents in May 2005. His right eye was shot out. His left eye was blinded. The insurgents killed his uncle, shot his mother in the head and spine, and shot his cousin in the leg. Only his sister escaped the attack without injury. After arriving in Snohomish, Hamoody received a series of checkups and examinations. Doctors determined that he will not regain his sight. Nonetheless, doctors donated their time giving the boy reconstructive surgery in May 2007. They removed scar tissue from Hamoody's face and took four inches of his rib to rebuild his right eye socket and nose. The operation aimed to improve the symmetry of his face and ease his breathing. Hamoody knows he looks different from others, Julie Robinett Smith said. One day, an adult walked up to them and asked what happened to his face. Hamoody asked Smith: "Why isn't my face like yours?" Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.

1. Fireworks blamed in house fires; three people injured 2. Mill Creek lawyer pursuing lawsuit for island nation 3. Everett may have to lobby for Lincoln's replacement 4. Mortgage relief slow in coming for strapped homeowners 5. Fireworks blamed in Marysville house fire 6. Fourth proves a day for colors 7. Landlords should read up before they rent out 8. Marysville postpones remodel of high school 9. Officials in fever to keep Boeing 10. Credit card companies cut debtors some slack 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people