Garden City Doctors Honored for Helping Save Young Girl's Life

Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano today honored two doctors and a nurse for volunteering their medical expertise to help save a six-year-old girl who had been severely burned at her home in Gaza. 

Both Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh and Dr. Roger L. Simpson of  in Garden City, who help run the Burn Unit at Nassau University Medical Center, volunteered their medical expertise to help rescue Nebal Hani al Shamali.

Nurse Lynn Bert helped care for Nebal as she recovered from surgery at South Nassau Communities Hospital. Nebal was severely injured when she knocked over a tea kettle, which poured scolding hot water all over her body. 

An organization, Doctors Without Borders, helped stabilize her but recommended urgent and highly specialized care in the United States that was not available to her in Gaza. Therefore she and her mother started a six-day journey across the Rafah crossing into Egypt. She was then sent from Egypt to the United States just days before the riots broke out. Had she tried to leave Egypt even a day later, she probably would not have gotten out.

The Long Island Plastic Surgical Group volunteered their services through Mission: Restore, which had organized the doctors as a public service, providing pro bono medical care along with transportation and hospital costs. Not only do these doctors improve the health, safety and well-being of Long Islanders everyday, they use their talents to help those who need treatment the most, all over the world.

“Had it not been for the compassion of organizations like Mission: Restore and Doctors Without Borders, which acted immediately on this girl's situation, the outcome we're celebrating might have turned out very differently,” said Dr. Alizadeh, president of the Long Island Plastic Surgical Group.

Mangano thanked Dr. Alizadeh and Dr. Simpson for volunteering their time and expertise and commended them for setting an example for all those who live and work in Nassau County.

“I take great pride in knowing that we have these very talented and compassionate doctors here in our great county and running our burn unit at Nassau University Medical Center,” he said.

“With the recent turmoil in Egypt and barrage of devastating news stories, it's wonderful to be able to honor Nassau County doctors who saved this young girl's life. Her incredible story is a much-needed reminder to all of us that even amidst chaos and destruction, miracles do occur.”

In attendance at today’s press conference/ceremony was Rabbi Anchelle Perl, Nebal Hani al Shamali, her family and various religious and business leaders who all came to express their appreciation. The young girl spoke for the first time to express gratitude for the community and doctors that assisted her.