His young face disfigured in the aftermath of a bomb blast in Iraq. He's been brought to long island for life-changing surgery.
"Right now we just want to give him the ability to grow his face because the way it is now, it's not going to grow properly," said Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh
Over the next six months, doctors say Abdeen will need at least four operations to rebuild a portion of his skull and jaw line, reconstruct his nose, as well as the inside of his mouth.
Two not for profits: "Mission Restore" and "The Global Medical Relief Fund" helped make the trip from Iraq and the surgery possible.
"You see this child, their dignity and their youth is going to be restored and that's what this is all about," said Elissa Montanti from The Global Medical Relief Fund.
The man responsible for Abdeen's very survival is his 21 year old uncle, who took the injured toddler in when even his parents gave up on him.
Through an interpreter, Hassan Hadi Khazaal told us he always believed his nephew would get the medical attention he needed.
"I had feeling that i would come here one day," said Khazaal.
Abdeen may be too young to realize what all the fuss is about now but khazaal says he'll make sure he knows the story of all those who helped change his life.
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