CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A sick young boy from Afghanistan arrived at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Friday morning for a life-saving trip.
Eyewitness News was there as 9-year-old Hamid met the family that will host him in the Charlotte area for the next few months. Hamid was born with a serious but treatable birth defect, which went untreated for years, and his kidneys are now shutting down. In Afghanistan, there is just one physician for each 50,000 Afghan citizens.
The nonprofit group Solace for the Children began bringing children from Afghanistan to the Lake Norman area in 2007 to receive free medical and dental care. The organization found out about Hamid through American troops serving in Afghanistan.
Doctors at Presbyterian Hospital will perform surgery on Hamid in January. He is expected to stay in the Lake Norman area for three to six months as he recovers.
A group of Afghan children is also expected to arrive in June through the same program. Solace for the Children is still looking for host families for those children. For more information, click here.
Previous Stories: June 22, 2010: Nonprofit Brings Afghan Children To Charlotte
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