Kid Yusef News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Come june he'll say good-bye to this familiar place. up next is middle school. >> do you worry about when he goes to a new school now that he's going to get teased? >> yes. >> how does a father prepare his son for that? >> we have to be strong. we have to make him strong, too. >> reporter: once victims, now a family full of strength. today the family appears safe, even happy. yusef's operations are covered by the california state children's services if you're curious as they would be for other children who live in california as well. they do face significant financial challenges. most of the a...

Take off some of the burned skin. >> yeah. >> reporter: his parents were desperate to see their boy smile again. just months after the attack they came to the united states with a single suitcase. their living expenses and medical expenses, all of it was paid for by the kindness of strangers. we have followed their journey since 2007. yusef has had 19 operations, a total of 61 procedures to help correct the burn damage. if you were going to have more operations what would you want to have done? >> like over here. >> reporter: on your right ear? >> yeah. >> reporter: let's see. you want it more...

Would do that to a child of 5 years old. six years later his story isn't so much about the cruelty. it's about strength and resilience and the pursuit of happiness. >> this is our classroom. i sit in that seat over there. >> reporter: it is amazing to me what a typical american, 10-year-old kid yusef has become. >> the molecules move faster. >> reporter: this was yusef, just 5 years old. he was attacked by masked men in front of his home in baghdad. they poured gasoline on his face and set him on fire. what's the first thing you remember about all of that? >> i just, like, remember a doctor ge...