Scottish donors help terminally ill mother who fled Syria to Lebanon
Scottish donations are helping towards the medical bills of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, including those suffering with terminal conditions.
Hiam, 48, fled Idlib for Lebanon in 2012 after her house came under heavy bombardment during clashes between rebel and army forces.
She has since been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer after experiencing chest pains.
Along with her two daughters, aged 12 and 13, she lives in a small room in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, her day-to-day life almost entirely confined within its four walls. Caritas Leanon, supported by the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (Sciaf ), has helped towards the costs of her care.
“I underwent chemotherapy. The first time was intolerable. I banged my head through the walls, I lost consciousness. It was really painful,” she said.
Hiam now undergoes the chemo sessions every three weeks.
“It is of course very difficult. If I didn’t have any friends here I wouldn’t make it,” she said.
“There is one friend who came to my rescue, and another friend comes here to cook for the kids.
“But I try to cook for them as much as I can myself because the kids like their mother’s food.”
She added: “I am scared for my daughters’ lives. This is my main concern. I want them to be in a secure family.”