Huda is a 10-year old whose family lived in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in Syria. Until recently they had a safe and stable life with Huda, who has a number of disabilities, receiving free treatment in the Syrian health sector. Her father was a construction worker and Palestinians in Syria enjoyed virtually equally rights as full citizens.
The conflict in Syria eventually forced Huda’s family to flee in 2012 after their home was hit by a shell. Huda spoke of the sound of fighting and having to process images of people dying. She suffers panic attacks to this day
The family of seven travelled across the border to Lebanon and found themselves living on the outskirts of the southern city of Tyre. Arriving in a country where Palestinian refugee rights are restricted was a shock to Huda’s family who had once looked enviously at the glitz and glamour of Beirut. The truth of restricted access to healthcare came as a shock and suddenly a matter of life or death after a fall gave Huda a potentially deadly brain haemorrhage.
1% chance of survival
Huda’s new neighbours knew a Doctor who managed to secure an MRI scan that showed that she had a very slim chance of surviving the injury. This terrifying course of events got worse when the family were told that it would cost $3,300 to perform lifesaving surgery on Huda. As Huda’s mother said “we don’t have anyone in Lebanon and no work to be able to afford this cost”.
As part of our Tertiary Care program MAP has supported over 185 patients like Huda affected by life-threatening conditions. Working with the UN OCHA, MAP funded Huda’s operation and miraculously she survived and greeted our team with a beaming smile when we visited her earlier this month.
Currently Huda’s family are trying the leave the region and start life anew in Germany or perhaps even Australia, what we do know is that thanks to the support of MAP Huda is alive today.