So we’ve made it back to our homes and spent times with our friends’ and families.
I think what I’ve said most when asked about the trip was “It was incredible, but really intense.”

For those of you who didn’t hear via Facebook or some other means, our dear friend Shad passed away June 6th.
You can read about that here . It starts near the bottom, and if you work your way back you can get up to date info on his family.
Matt and I both were incredibly saddened by the death of our friend, however I’m sure I’ll see that little dude again someday, and he’ll be way better off than when I saw him last.
Praise God.

So now the editing process begins. And we’ll do our best to keep you up to date on that.

Thanks so much for your love and support.

Michael

So today is our last shooting day here at the hospital.

I’m planning on getting another little teaser out soon from some of the happenings here.

We’ve laughed and we’ve cried, and we’ve sat in silence praying for God to move. And we’ve done all of these things while shooting video and taking pictures, which is an adventure unto itself.

Right now our little buddy Roman is out of ICU and doing great with his mom.

Heran, is scheduled to leave the ICU tomorrow. One of the doctor’s loves the Simpsons, and just keeps referring to her as “Exxcellent!” Blood oxygen saturation way up!

And our brother Shad , had to go back in for another surgery very quickly to bring his oxygen saturation up. But the last time I saw him, he wanted to wear his glasses, and play PSP. He’s a fighter.

We have a few more things to shoot before we leave the hospital today, but I can say without a doubt I’m far more attached to these kids, and this story that I thought I would be.

Love wins.

-Michael

So here is teaser number two of some of the footage we’ve been shooting here in Suly.

Let us know what you think!

music by A Slight Breeze

We’re leaving tonight at about 3am for Istanbul with the kids for surgery for a week.

It’s about to get intense.

Love.
-Michael

A year ago I started chatting with this man named Jeremy Courtney who, at the time, was trying to get some sort of organization off of the ground by selling handmade Kurdish shoes to raise money for kids heart surgeries in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. At the time, he casually threw out the idea that I could come over-seas and shoot a documentary.

Side note: exactly one year ago today I had maybe two legit photo gigs under my belt and was in no way prepared for such a journey.

Upon Jeremy asking me this quite ambitious question, all I was thinking was, “Sure, sounds good. But that will never happen.”

Today I am sitting in a small cafe overlooking the main-road in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq sipping chai tea and editing photos from today’s meeting with a young boy who just three months ago was able to have a vital heart surgery through the loving work of the Preemptive Love Coalition (PLC). I am here working with the PLC (the umbrella organization to Buy Shoes. Save Lives) documenting this phenomenal group of people who have worked so hard to see over 25 children receive heart surgeries at no cost to their impoverished families.

Over the past week, Michael and I have been traveling from house to house of the children that have received surgeries through PLC and those still on the waiting list (due to lack of funding) shooting video and taking pictures of the lives and stories of these children.

In 3 days we will travel with 5 families from Suly. to Istanbul, documenting 5 different children from the plane ride to the surgery room as they go in for their operations. For these children, this surgery is a last chance at a healthy life. Some of them might even be turned away by the surgeons as their condition may be too far advanced.

Below are a slew of pictures taken over the past week. Hopefully they communicate the intimacy we have had with PLC, the families and others who have joined rank for this cause.

Below are some pictures detailing the last week of our lives. We have laughed, played and cried with these children and their families.

Internet is really, really slow right now, but here is a little “snap” from yesterday. More pictures coming soon… soon as the internet graduates from dial-up, that is.

Yesterday at about 6pm, Jeremy Courtney of PLC received a phone call from Lawen of Soma. That the 1st Lady of Iraq would meet with us to do an interview at 7:30pm.

We were about 4 blocks from the house at the PLC office, and had to hustle back to the house and change into way nicer clothes.

Someone had told Jeremy we needed flowers, so he walked up the street while I searched frantically for my socks because here, you take your shoes off before you enter someones home. And I guess it’s a bad idea to walk around with dirty feet in such a nice house?

I finally found my socks and we met Jeremy up the street a flower shop to figure out which flowers you give the 1st Lady of an entire nation. I said something exotic and white, but he ended up going for an arrangement which looks oddly like a smile.

So we got a taxi. Which is a a 4 door sedan, and 3 Americans and equipment piled into the car. I quickly tried to get gear arranged as we drove over to soma. This included pulling batteries out of my Kata bag, and getting my wireless mic kit together.

We got to Soma, and Lawen came out to meet us, as well as Scott from PLC. A small 4 door red BMW pulled up and Lawen climbed into the front seat. So then Matt, myself, Jeremy, and Scott and our gear had to fit in the backseat that’s really only made to comfortably seat 2. We’re all Americans mind you.

On this drive I did mic checks with Jeremy to make sure my signal flow was straight as the driver did about 110mph down two lane mountain roads, around cars and dodging people.

We were waved passed countless guards armed with AK’s, and sat to have chai and dessert with the 1st Lady.

All of this is on video. However my favorite quote from her for the night is not.

“I was always afraid the people of Kurdistan would give up. They had so much trouble with Iran, and then Sadaam, and then another war. I wad afraid they would quit. But the didn’t. They still have hope. They have strong hearts.”

I had to keep a “HELL YEAH!” to myself. Apparently that wouldn’t have been appropriate.

-Michael

TEASER!

We’re meeting with the 1st Lady of Iraq tomorrow for an interview.

Stoked!

Our translator here keeps making fun of me for calling this town “Suly.” “No one calls it that,” he says. “Just Americans, and people who are not from here.”

Be anxious for nothing!

Michael