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This
has been made possible by the compassion of CNN viewers, says
an official release.
 Youssif
was grabbed on a January day outside his central Baghdad home.
He was doused in gasoline by masked assailants and set on fire,
resulting in terrible burns to his face and hands. CNN's Baghdad-based
correspondent Arwa Damon met Youssif's father and heard the story,
which she reported on CNN International. Youssif's story drew
the biggest response to a non-breaking news story in the history
of CNN.com.
Through
CNN's online Impact Your World initiative, viewers from around
the world made contributions to the Children's Burn Foundation,
allowing Youssif and his family to fly to the United States for
treatment. Plastic surgeon Peter Grossman offered to donate his
services for the half dozen or more surgeries Youssif will need.
Along
with Damon, CNN's Dr Sanjoy Gupta is also there in Southern California
to monitor Youssif's medical progress at the Grossman Burn Center.
Impact Your World: Rescuing Youssif documents and watches
the family as it experiences a series of "firsts" during
their new life in America: from learning how to use a toaster
to seeing the ocean for the first time.
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