Dad, wife and newborn daughter spend time 
together over 8,000 miles distance; satellite technology provided free of charge.
Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Homestead Hospital and the Freedom Calls Foundation, which built a satellite network to keep families connected because there is no Internet infrastructure in Iraq, Marine Lance Corporal David Reza stationed in Al Asad, Iraq met his newborn daughter, Jordan Izabella, from the front lines of Iraq Saturday.
LCpl Reza’s little girl was born two weeks early at Homestead Hospital’s Birthing Suites, and he came off the battlefield to welcome her into the world. He was on the phone with the baby’s grandmother while his wife, Olga Reza, also a Marine, was in labor. The next day, the family met via videoconference.
According to new mom Olga, "I'm so thankful that Homestead Hospital stepped up to help us in our time of need; I thought I'd be having this baby alone. We never could have imagined that David could be here to meet the baby when he is 8,000 miles away fighting a war. This means the world to me and my family."
"Homestead Hospital greatly appreciates the work of the Freedom Calls Foundation and we were honored to take part in the very special moment. We believe the birth of a child to be a uniquely special and significant event in the lives of parents, and so we were delighted to make these arrangements so they could be together on this occasion. It was very touching to watch how this videoconference provided these new parents with an additional boost of emotional and mental support," said Bill Duquette, CEO of Homestead Hospital.
John Harlow, Executive Director of the Freedom Calls Foundation, stated that "the foundation is transforming a long-standing family communication paradigm in time of war by enabling soldiers in the war zone to attend and participate in milestone family events like weddings, 1st communions and new births, etc. Soldiers may now keep their commitments to their families at the same time they keep their commitment to their country. The long-term vision of the Freedom Calls Foundation is that our war fighters will be able to come home from a day on the battlefield and spend virtual time with their families every night using state-of-the-art technology. The contribution of resources by community citizens like Homestead Hospital enables the foundation to fulfill its mission."
The Reza family video conference was conducted over the satellite network that Freedom Calls built in cooperation with the Army and Marines to serve U.S. deployed military personnel and their families 24 hours per day free of charge. It is funded 100 percent by donations from the American public. The Foundation receives no financial support from the government or the military. Freedom Calls is the 2008 recipient of The Newman’s Own Award for the most innovative service that improves the lives of military families.
About Freedom Calls Foundation:
The Freedom Calls Foundation is a 501(c)3 Public Charity which has built a satellite network dedicated to providing state of the art video conferencing, telephone and internet services to enable our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to keep in touch with their families and loved ones at home, free of charge. The Foundation provides services to more than 60,000 soldiers, Marines and airmen free of charge 24 hours per day, including more than 2,000 enterprise class video conferences from homes, hospitals and churches every month. The Army has requested that the foundation install 8 additional facilities in Iraq and 2 in Afghanistan in the coming months. The Foundation is authorized by the Secretary of the Army to provide communications services to the troops and their families and recently received a Commendation from the Army, a personal letter of appreciation from MAJ GEN Taguba and personal thanks from President Bush at the White House. For more information, visit www.freedomcalls.org.
About Homestead Hospital:
Homestead Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest faith-based, not-for-profit healthcare organization in the region. In addition to Homestead Hospital, Baptist Health includes Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, South Miami Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Mariners Hospital, Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute and Baptist Outpatient Services. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization's fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities affiliated with Baptist Health.