20 incredibly emotional shots from the life of an Iraqi family

On November 10, 2003, American photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice began work on Saleh, a photo essay that won her the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. Dian stayed with the boy and his family for more than a year, capturing moments of his life, amazing in their emotional depth, which miraculously managed to be preserved, and telling the world the story of a family that survived a terrible tragedy and did not lose the ability to enjoy life.

(Total 20 photos)

Source: http://www.deannefitzmaurice.com

1. On October 10, 2003, on his way home from school, Saleh Khalaf, a nine-year-old Iraqi boy, picked up an object on the side of the road that he thought was a ball. Seconds later, the item exploded in his hands, killing his older brother. Saleh himself lost one of his hands, almost all the fingers on the other hand, his left eye and was seriously wounded in the stomach.

A few days later, Saleh's father, Rahim, managed to convince the doctors of the American Air Force Base to perform an emergency operation in order to save his son's life. Thus began an international mission to save the boy, whose courage and unbroken spirit the doctors nicknamed "Lionheart".

2. Saleh is lucky. He and his father were taken to a children's hospital in Oakland, California, where doctors found out about Saleh's case via the Internet and agreed to take on further treatment. After many months in the hospital and dozens of surgeries, the boy's condition began to improve.

3. During the treatment, Saleh lived with his father in the family home attached to the hospital. In the photo: Rahim during his daily prayer, and next to him is a mountain of toys sent by condoling Americans who learned about Saleh from a TV story or from newspapers.

4. Rahim was constantly next to Saleh, helping to overcome the incredible trials that fell to his lot. Having lost his eldest son in this terrible tragedy, he did not dare to tell Saleh that his brother was dead.

5. Saleh's recovery went better than anyone could have expected. Photo: Saleh is already playing football in the hospital corridor with one of the workers, until a nurse caught them and sent Saleh back to bed.

6. Despite the amazing optimism and will to live, Saleh, of course, was worried about how he now looks. Once he noticed that the other children were staring at him, he was both upset and angry. The nurses decided to cheer up the boy by giving him the opportunity to draw by attaching a felt-tip pen to his arm. Saleh painted a plane dropping bombs.

7. After several months of treatment, the hospital staff, reluctantly, were forced to inform Rakhim that the family home they lived in was needed for other patients. And then another small miracle happened - a couple living near the hospital - Leslie and Daniel Trutner - found an opportunity for Saleh and Rahim to stay in Auckland. Pictured: Saleh is jumping for joy as Daniel assembles his new bed.

8. When the main operations were already over, Saleh began attending a local school, where he quickly made friends. He told them about his life in Iraq - how he fished in the river near his house and how he heard wild animals roaring in the vicinity.

9. But Saleh also had very difficult days. In the photo: he is crying at the feet of his father, because people were staring at him. He also misses his mother and younger sisters and brother very much, who remained in Iraq.

10. Almost a year after their arrival, the United States granted Rakhim and Saleh political asylum, and soon the family received permission to come to America with them. In December 2004, Saleh's mother, Hadiya, left Iraq with her children and began a dangerous and difficult journey into a new life. With the help of Brother Rahim, they traveled across the country to cross the border into Jordan, where they could already get American visas and fly to California.

11. Saleh and Rahim meet Hadiya with children at the airport in San Francisco. "There she is!" Saleh screams, and he and his father rush to meet the family they have been waiting for to reunite with. Saleh holds a box with a ring in his hand - a gift for his mother.

12. Saleh hurries to hug his mother and little brother Ali. On the right, Raheem is finally able to hug his daughters, whom he hasn't seen in over a year.

13. A happy family settles into a new home in Auckland. Hadiya cooked Saleh's favorite dishes. Pictured: Khadia tells Raheem that he looks ridiculous without a mustache and needs to grow it back ASAP!

14. Saleh had another operation - on the brain, to remove a fragment of an exploding grenade, which had remained in his head all this time. In the photo: father and mother awaiting the results of Saleh's operation.

15. Rahim receives long-awaited news from a neurosurgeon: the operation was successful. Saleh will be fine!

16. A few years later, Dian returned to film the continuation of the story of this family. Pictured: Saleh and his sister Zahara teach their father how to skateboard.

17. Saleh with his sisters on a swing at their new home in Auckland.

18. Fifteen-year-old Saleh plays basketball with his sisters and a friend.

19. Saleh is already taller than his father and can even lift him up as a joke!

20. Sixteen-year-old Saleh, a high school student in Auckland.