6-Year-Old Afghan Girl Shot In Face By Taliban Has Life-Saving Surgery On L.I.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A 6-year-old girl who was shot in the face and left to die by the Taliban was flown to New York for life-saving surgery.
The girl, identified only as "Marzieh," was shot in the face by the Taliban during an ambush. Her eye socket and cheek were shattered in the attack.
"They murdered her father and her brother in front of her. She was being hidden under the feet of her father," Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh told CBS 2's Jennifer McLogan on Friday.
Marizeh hid underneath her murdered father for three hours until she was discovered. She almost bled to death while she waited for help to arrive, doctors said.
The Afghan Health Minister called on the Global Medical Relief Fund on Staten Island to fly her from her remote village to the United States before she could become a forgotten casualty of war.
"It's all about giving back, and giving a child back their dignity, putting them back together again," Elissa Montanti said.
Montanti's group is sponsoring Marzieh's trip, along with South Nassau Community Hospital and a group of doctors who are offering her free medical care over the holidays.
The Taliban narrowly missed Marzieh's brain when they shot her, doctors said, and she has not been able to breath through her nose. What's more, scarring is setting in and making things worse.
"The bullet entered from the left cheek and the exit side was above the right orbit, so you can just imagine the path of the bullet," explained Dr. Alizadeh, "Our goal is to be able to allow her to breathe, to be more comfortable, and to allow her face to grow."
Since arriving in the United States, Marzieh has developed a love of pizza and French fries.
Marzieh's surgery was a success and her family said it was grateful for the sacrifices that strangers made to help make her whole again.
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