CCCL/St. Jude in Beirut (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
This morning, when I saw this sign at the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon/St. Jude in Beirut, I remembered that Mother’s Day was being celebrated today in Lebanon–as well as in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. As an expat living in the Middle East, it can be hard sometimes to keep up with the many holidays that are celebrated on different dates around the world.
I spent most of my time this morning with a young girl from Iraq whose family had traveled from Baghdad to Beirut for the best cancer care available in the Middle East. After we took some photos with her ipad, I encouraged her to start using its video feature to make videos from her bed. Though we spoke mostly in Arabic, her father switched to English when he said: “Baghdad is tired.” In the midst of the ongoing violence in Baghdad and Beirut, her parents feel incredibly grateful that their daughter is able to receive the highest level of medical care at no cost to their family. To help make free cancer treatment available to more children in Lebanon, please consider making an online donation here–every little bit of generosity helps to improve the lives of my young friends here in Beirut.
