Grim to a lifetime of grins for Iraqi child

All that this Iraqi father wanted was to see his six-year-old daughter's face light up with smiles.

On the face of it, it was a father's simple desire but he was faced with a grim reality - his daughter had a rare congenital vascular malformation on the left side of her face. It led to severe bleeding and infection and cast a grim shadow where a gazillion grins should have been, leaving her unable to establish that earliest emotional connect with her loved ones and the rest of the world.

There were options available but hundreds of thousands of miles lay between the child and her priceless smiles. Given the grim scenario in their country, international travel was a tall ask.

But her father was not the one to be deterred by such complex matters as the turmoil in their world.

Raimas Ali Karim and her father faced immense challenges, risking everything to seek treatment in India.