By Cameron Atfield
Brisbane Times and Sun-Herald journalist

The long wait for a Somali woman left horribly disfigured when she was shot  in the face as a child is almost over.Ayaan Mohamed, now 25, suffered horrific facial injuries as a result of the  attack during Somalia’s brutal civil war.In addition to cosmetic disfigurement, Ms Mohamed has difficulty eating and  drinking and is unable to close her right eye.

She will arrive in Brisbane next week to undergo reconstructive surgery,  thanks to the generosity of local Rotary clubs, donors and medical experts in  the Queensland capital.

And she will be accompanied by the former foreign minister of the autonomous  territory of Somaliland, Edna Adan Ismail.

Wesley Hospital medical services director Luis Prado said the hospital would  cover the costs of Ms Mohamed’s hospital stay, theatre and other costs.“Mrs Ismail’s tireless humanitarian work, the donations made and the  community spirit shown by people here and overseas have combined to help achieve  this outcome to bring Ms Mohamed to Brisbane,” Dr Prado said.

“Many of the Wesley’s visiting medical specialists and staff are generously volunteering their time and skills to assist.”

Brisbane’s High-Rise and Mitchelton Rotary clubs raised the money for Ms  Mohamed’s trip to Australia.

The surgery, expected to take place on February 22, has been a long time coming.

The Wesley Hospital and Rotary had offered to bring Ms Mohamed to Australia  for the complicated surgery free of charge last year, but the then-Gillard  government denied her a medical visa last March.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison finally approved the visa last month,  after a second visa application was made in October.

Source: Brisbane Times