Doctors Say Baby Noor Will Be a Paraplegic
BLITZER: Let's go back to CNN's Kyra Phillips standing by at CNN Center with more on this and other stories we're following right now. Kyra?</s>PHILLIPS: Thanks, Wolf. A story you know all too well, you just came back from the region. Potential signs of recovery today from Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Doctors say that Sharon slightly moved his right hand and leg after pain stimuli tests after his anesthesia was reduced Sharon also breathed on his own but remains connected to respirator. He is in serious condition following a major stroke last Wednesday and his doctors caution that it will take days before it's clear how much he will recover. The top Muslim cleric of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia says the war on terror is actually a war on Islam. His comments came at a mosque at Mount Arafat, where more than 1 million pilgrims are taking part in the Hajj. The trek up the mountain is the annual rite's climax. In his speech to the pilgrims, Kingdom's Grand Mufti called on Muslims to unite against what he characterized as threats from the West. Pope John Paul II for gave him and even visited him in prison. Now the man who shot former pope at point blank range is being released from prison. Mehmet Ali Agca attacked the pope as he greeted a crowd in St. Peter's Square outside the Vatican in 1981. It was later pardoned by Italian authorities and transferred to Turkey to serve time for another murder. His attorney says he'll be released on Thursday. Nature is lending a help hand to firefighters in Colorado. Snow in the southern part of the state helped fire crews battle a blaze in the town of Aguilar overnight. The wind driven fire has charred some 5,000 acres now, but elsewhere fire crews aren't so lucky. At least 43 wildfires have been reported in Arkansas with others burning across drought parched areas of Oklahoma and Texas. Fire officials fear this blaze in Sebastian County, Arkansas, may destroy 1,500 acres before it's under control.</s>PHILLIPS: Wolf, take it back to you. We have more coming up of course in the next hour.</s>BLITZER: Thanks very much. Kyra Phillips reporting for us. We're standing by for the start of this news conference in Atlanta, Baby Noor, little baby was brought to the United States from Iraq for emergency spina bifida surgery. We'll update you on what's going on what that news conference begins. Also, how should the Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito respond to questions about domestic spying? Our question of the hour, Jack Cafferty has your e-mail. That's coming up. Before we go to break, though, I understand the doctor is now speaking in Atlanta. The doctor is speaking on the condition of Baby Noor. Let's listen in.</s>DR. ROGER HUDGINS, CHILDRENS HEALTHCARE OF ATLANTA: ... that still remains the case. I am privileged and honored to be part of this, and that's all. I think that the real heroes start a long time ago. They started with this family. They start with the grandmother who had the courage to walk up with men with guns and say, help us. It starts with parents who will let their child go, for a time, so that they can get the best care for their child that they possibly can. It's with our Georgia soldiers who took this as a mission. And who if they're watching, or will be watching this at any time, I'd like to just thank them, because they have put all of us in a position where we can feel good that we've done this baby a good deed. Today's surgery did go very well. It was as difficult as I thought it was going to be because, again, this was not the time that we typically close a defect such as this. We usually do it within the first couple of days. And because of that, skin had grown up over the top an over the top of the spinal cord. But using I think the latest state of the art equipment, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta provided us, we were able to dissect the skin off of the spinal cord, to roll it back up as we've been talking about over the last few days, put it back where it belonged. And then close many layers over the top of it. I would like to thank Dr. Fernando Bernstein, a pediatric plastic surgeon, who did the last two layers of closure and got everything looking good. We worked together as a team all the time. And I think that again one of the things that I would like to emphasize is that in pediatrics, and at the hospital, a lot of the things that we do, we do in tandem and with our partners and with a team like this. So there is no one person that did anything. And I just am appreciative of them all. Thank you. Any questions?</s>QUESTION: Yes. Doctor, Diana Davis from Channel 2 in Atlanta. You have discussed it before, but can you once again review for us what your best hopes are for little Baby Noor's future and the outcome of this surgery?</s>HUDGINS: Sure. It does look like she's not going to be able to move her legs. That is, she's going to be paraplegic. Unfortunately, that's the exam that she had when she first got here. I suspect that it's the exam that she had since birth. I say that because it looks as if she's got what we call a sensory level at about the mid part of her abdomen. Her belly kind of bows out a little bit when she breathes. That's typical of a child born this way. She's also going to have bowel and bladder issues, bowel and bladder control issues as she grows up. On other hand, any of you who have had the opportunity to come in contact with this baby know just -- the charisma, I guess for lack of a better word -- from a three-month-old. She just radiates good feeling. She looks you in the eye. She is smiling now. She cooing in the most delightful little way. She just cooed in the office for the first time. I'm pretty proud of that. She chose our office to do that. So it is my hope that she will be developmentally and mentally normal. We take care of a lot of children with spina bifida, many of whom are paraplegic but do very, very well.</s>QUESTION: What about the next surgery, the shunt? Is that still going to take place?</s>HUDGINS: Well, it's not definitive. Because now that we've closed this sac, there is a good possibility that the fluid will begin to build up within the brain. We have tentatively placed her on the schedule for a shunt on Wednesday. What we're waiting to see is whether she develops signs of increased intracranial pressure. That's been in the news a lot this last several days, it's really the same here. It's a little bit different in a baby though, how you assess that. Worry's watching for signs of increased pressure. If and when arise, a shunt will probably be the operation that we do, but as I've had a couple days to think about it, and to --</s>BLITZER: While the doctor is speaking, you are looking at these live pictures from Camp Victory in Iraq. These are U.S. troops who were responsible in rescuing Baby Noor and helping to make the arrangements to get her to Georgia for this emergency medical procedure. That is clearly going to save Baby Noor's life. Without this procedure, Baby Noor could not have survived in Iraq. Let's go back to the doctor.</s>HUDGINS: Little slow in my Arabic, but I am working on it. Their reaction through this whole thing has been one of, I think, profound thankfulness. They have been, from the very beginning, as best I can tell through facial expressions and from the words that I get through the translator, they have been as pleased with the care, as pleased with being here and just very, very thankful for the care that we're giving their daughter and grandchild.</s>QUESTION: Emotionally, what does that do to you as a neurosurgeon to be able to give this kind of a gift to a family?</s>HUDGINS: As a neurosurgeon, I'm not supposed to have those kind of feelings. All right? You know, if I tell you, you got to not tell anybody. All right? Just between us. No. The reason I went into pediatrics is because I loved this stuff and I love being with babies and being with small children. I've put up with -- no. I love babies. And this is a very special feeling. I get this from my work all the time, though, to be quite honest with you. I don't quite often do it in front of cameras. But this is a special baby. And it's just neat to kind of watch her go through milestones and go through what -- a big surgery like this, a difficult time, and do well. I appreciate it.</s>QUESTION: Doctor Hudgins --</s>BLITZER: Doctor Roger Hudgins is the neurosurgeon who was part of the team that performed this emergency surgery on Baby Noor. You're looking at these live pictures coming in from Camp Victory in Iraq as well. U.S. troops who were involved in rescuing Baby Noor and helping to make the arrangements to get her flown to the United Sates for this treatment. They're watching this on television as well. Also if you want to see this you can watch this on CNN.com. They're watching it on CNN.com/pipeline. Our new video streaming service on CNN.com. You can go there as well and watch the news conference with Dr. Hudgins. But by all accounts he says the surgery has gone well and Baby Noor will survive. We'll take a quick break. When we come back, more on our top stories. Samuel Alito, day one of his confirmation hearings. How did they go? Our strategy session. And all the day's other news right after this.