Ghazwan al-Nidawi of Baquba, Iraq, holds a copy of the Quran over his son Mustafa after cochlear implant surgery at UCSF Medical Center.

The Saturday San Francisco Chronicle has a good article on Mustafa al-Nidawi’s cochlear implant operation. On line, lots more photos that will bring tears of joy.

Ear surgeon Lawrence Lustig, who performed the procedure, said it hardly felt like work.

“It was fun,” he said. “With so much in the world that’s wrong, it’s nice to do something good.”

Mustafa’s father, 33-year-old Baghdad University Professor Ghazwan al-Nidawi, tried to keep his emotions in check as he praised his benefactors.

“Today is the second day for Mustafa to be born again,” he said, speaking through an interpreter, his voice faltering. “After the (bomb), my son died. Now he is alive again.”

He turned to Lustig and searched for words.

“Whatever I say will not be enough. You are No. 1 in the whole world. You are my hero.”

Update:

UCSF posts its own story about the operation.

Mustafa’s implant will remain turned off for about three weeks while the swelling in his right ear goes down, Lustig said. It is not known how well the boy will respond to the device, but Lustig expressed optimism.

“Our goal is just to get him to hear,” he said during a press conference after the surgery. “There’s a huge range in terms of people’s response to the implant.”

Al-Nadawi said his son was aware when he arrived at the hospital Friday morning that he would be undergoing a procedure, and that UCSF Medical Center staff had used dolls and other props to act out a mock cochlear implant surgery. But Mustafa did not fully understand the connection between the surgery and his ability to hear, Al-Nadawi said.