A rose amidst the ashes

Sometimes, extraordinary people rise above horror, bias, hatred, and sheer human error. Here's the story of one such family:

The organs of Ahmed Ismail Khatib, 13, the Palestinian boy shot Thursday by IDF soldiers in the West Bank town of Kabatiya near Jenin, will be donated to six Israelis. Ahmed was shot after soldiers mistook his toy gun for a real one. Still, his parents decided to donate the organs “for the sake of peace between the two people.” Meanwhile, the boy’s father said he was invited to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who offered to apologize for the killing, Palestinian news agency Ma’an reported. According to the Palestinian report, Ismail Khatib said that “if this would serve the Palestinian problem and advance a just peace, I will meet with Sharon and bring him a message of peace.” Ahmed's heart has been transplanted Sunday into the body of a 12-year-old girl at the Schneider hospital in Petah Tikva. His liver was donated to a six-month old baby and a 66-year-old woman at the Beilinson hospital in town. Ahmed's lungs will be donated to a 14-year-old Cystic Fibrosis patient, and his kidneys to a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl. Chairman of the ADI foundation for the promotion of transplants and organ donation in Israel, Gad Ben-Dror informed Ahmed's parents that Adi intends to grant them NIS 10,000 for their 'exceptional deed.'

Maybe somewhere out there, there is hope. UPDATE: Welcome, Little Green Football readers. I'd be delighted, of course, if you'd take a minute to check out the rest of my blog.