‘I was not sure I would see my child again’

Abd Al-Naser, 43 year-old father and husband, had a peaceful life in Syria before the war started. His life was torn apart when he lost his children to bombing, and his health suffered. With your help, he was recently treated in a hospital that was provided life saving equipment.

I long for the old, beautiful days — when we lived in our peaceful town. I miss waking up in the morning to have breakfast with my kids and wife. I remember dropping them to school everyday; it was a simple act that brought so much joy to my heart.

As the days passed, the war escalated. Houses and towns were destroyed — bombs and explosive barrels were soon falling everywhere. One day, the barrels fell over my house. Before I knew it, it had torn apart the bodies of my children and left them buried under the destruction and rubble.

The war is everywhere

When my wife and I lost our kids we lost our joy as well — falling into great sadness and depression. We decided to move to the northern part of Syria, in a town near the border, to escape warfare. We had no other choice or place to go to. Unfortunately, I realize now that the war is everywhere.

As life went on, my wife gave birth to another child. She gave us hope once again and filled our empty hearts with happiness.

Rescued from death

My heart-related diseases are caused majorly by stress — as a result of what I have experienced and been through. When they brought me to Islamic Relief’s medical centre to have surgery, I was rescued from death.

At that point, I was not sure if would be able to see my child again. But now, it has been ten days since I have been in the centre; I have been taking the prescribed medications and have my regular checkups. The doctors are monitoring my heart consistently through advanced medical equipment that Islamic Relief has provided — like ECG and arterial pressure machines in addition to x-ray equipment. I feel hopeful again.

It’s hard to fathom how happy I am right now. The assistance given to me has made a big difference in my life. Through this initiative, many lives of cardiac patients are saved regularly. We are all very grateful to everyone who participated in establishing this medical centre. I only hope the support continues so many others like me can be healed in the midst of such a tragic war. May Allah bless and reward you all.