"It was overwhelming," said 2nd Lt. Todd Wilson, a physician's assistant with the West Virginia Army National Guard. "Words can't describe it. It's very emotionally touching."

Wilson, his 9-year-old daughter Cierra and his fiancee, Breanna Brown, visited Fatma Saturday at the Anderson Township home where she has been staying. It was the first time Wilson had seen Fatma since she came here in late August for surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Wilson worked with the Shevet Achim charity organization to arrange the trip to Cincinnati after her father brought Fatma to a U.S. military base outside Baghdad to seek medical treatment.

Wilson has been home on leave only for a few days but wanted to see Fatma before she returned to Iraq.

After the Charleston trio arrived, Cierra and Fatma exchanged gifts - Barbie dolls - as is the custom in Iraq when guests visit. They then ate a traditional Iraqi meal with Fatma, her aunt and her host family, Dick and Marian Tarvin.

Then the group headed to the Newport Aquarium.

"I grew really close to her," Wilson said of the months he treated Fatma.

"She became my little buddy."

Fatma's August surgery was a success. Since arriving, Fatma has been the subject of continuing media attention, with her story appearing on local television and in newspapers. She's also been mentioned in the New York Times, the Army Times, and newspapers in Charleston, Cleveland and Akron.

Since leaving the hospital, Fatma, her aunt and an Iraqi physician have been staying with the Tarvins while she took daily intravenous antibiotic treatments to fight an infection that had developed in her heart and lungs.

Given the continuing hostilities in Iraq, the adults traveling with Fatma asked not to be identified.

Fatma has visited the Cincinnati Zoo, got a visit from Cincinnati Reds Manager Dave Miley, met with students at Colerain High School, traveled to Columbus to meet relatives of the Tarvins and to Michigan to visit distant relatives from Iraq. She also received discounted dental care.

"(At a school in Columbus), her aunt was so impressed by the size and number of books in the library and that the children go to school all day," Marian Tarvin said. "In Baghdad, one group of children goes to school in the morning, another group in the afternoon and some schools are shared by three groups. The only books were provided by the government and only what the government wants taught."

During their stay, Fatma's Iraqi escorts actually did most of the cooking, Marian said.

"We turned over our kitchen to them and they prepared the food they like to eat," Marian said. "Every morning, Fatma eats a hot hard-cooked egg or a scrambled egg in a pita half with a cup of warm milk and honey and also some fruit.

"Cantaloupe is one of her favorites," she said. "Sorry, she wasn't real impressed with pizza or hamburgers, but the chicken nuggets and KFC were more to her liking, as was the Arby's roast beef."

Fatma is one of more than two dozen Iraqi children who have received advanced medical care through Shevet Achim.

"We've been blessed to see the warmth of the response of the people of Cincinnati to Fatma," said Jonathan Miles, coordinator for Shevet Achim. "Our Christian volunteer staff in Amman (Jordan) hosted Fatma and her aunt when they came to apply for a U.S. visa. Fatma collapsed, though, a couple of times in the first days and had to be hospitalized."

Of 28 Iraqi children helped by the charity, four were treated in the United States; 20 went to India; three to Israel, and one to Germany.

Many people have been involved in helping the Tarvins host their Iraqi guests. And some of those gifts will extend beyond the help provided to Fatma.

For example, members of the Tarvins' church donated a laptop computer to the Iraqi cardiologist who traveled with the girl. She used it to take home reams of information about pediatric care that she gathered while visiting Cincinnati Children's. She plans to use that information to improve care for other children she will treat in Iraq, Marian said.

Fatma is expected to go home in the next couple of weeks, the Tarvins say. Wilson said Fatma's father carries her photo every day and is eager to see his daughter.

"(Her dad) is extremely grateful," Wilson said. "It didn't matter what else was going on in Iraq, just that she was going to be able to run and play."

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com or tbonfield@enquirer.com