A CARING soldier drove for ten hours to save the life of a boy injured in the war with Iraq.
Private Steven Simpson, from Castletown, Sunderland, was serving as an ambulance driver when he found two-year-old Hassan al-Khaibir in Safwan. The town had been hit by bombs, and a piece of shrapnel had become lodged in the youngster's brain.
After Hassan's father appealed to Pte Simpson for help, he drove him to the nearest hospital, only to be told it had no doctors to treat children. He tried two other hospitals, but was turned down by both.
Finally, Pte Simpson, 25, managed to persuade US military leaders to fly Hassan to a neuro surgery unit in Kuwait.
He was successfully treated, and returned to his family two weeks later.
Pte Simpson, who has a young daughter, said: "I spent ten hours driving from hospital to hospital trying to find help. It was awful. I just wanted to find him some help and I didn't want to give up on him."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article