Majd Studying July 2007
Majd Does the Washing Up July 2007
When I was in Dheishah with the Hammash family in December 2007, Majd told me that she was having stomach problems. She had hardly any solid bowel movements and she often had horrible stomach aches. I, having had a similar bad reaction to the water in the summer before, suggested it was that and told her just to drink tea, and have lots of vegetables. She tried this but it did not have any effect.
When I returned this July her condition had not changed, despite the eight months that had passed. Majd was also much thinner than before. While I was in there in July, she went to the doctor to get it checked out. She went to a stomach specialist, Dr. Raed AtTyty, who works in the Israeli Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem and is only available in the Occupied West Bank on Wednesdays. Dr. AtTyty was surprised to find that Majd had an ulcer because they are so rare for people that young.
There are many things that can give a person an ulcer in her stomach but in Majd's case it was most likely stress that caused her ulcer. Being a girl in Palestinian refugee camp is not a picnic. Girls are expected to do all of the household chores with your mother and your sisters--I have been told that it is shameful for a man to lift a broom! They are supposed to keep their reputations 100% good which means making sure that when one is in public one does not talk to a person that has a bad reputation or being out of the house without a purpose that is not connected to one's education, family, or female friends. Also, as a student, Majd is expected to bring home top grades, not only for herself, but because it will help better her family and her community. From her school work to who she talks to, a girl is expected to always consider how her performance and reputation will represent her family and her community. If that were not enough, Dheishah Refugee Camp, where Majd's family has lived since they were expelled their village in 1948, is overcrowded, has intermittent water and electricity, and is subject to frequent incursions by the Israeli Army. In the early morning hours last Thursday, September 25, the Israeli Army stormed the Camp and arrested one teenager, Ibrahim Munir Arafah. From worrying about her classes at Bethlehem University to worrying about Army jeeps outside her house, Majd has a lot to be stressed out about.
Dr. AtTyty emphasized to Majd the seriousness of her condition, and recommended that she get X-Rays done and told her that they typical treatment for ulcers is six months of antibiotic pills. Together, her treatment would come to 2,500 New Israeli Shekels or about $732 US dollars. This is three months of her Majd's mother's salary as a Physical Education teacher at a Palestinian Authority-run girls' middle school. Majd's mother, Miyasar, is the primary breadwinner for the family of five, and can barely put food on the table.
When I spoke with Majd a week ago about her diagnosis, she had to convince me of the reality of her situation: her family could not afford to get her ulcer treated. I was in disbelief because this was a serious health issue. When I persisted in telling her health was the most important thing, she kindly reminded me that she was in the Occupied West Bank, not America. Her father had asked UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East) if there were any sort of gratis medical care for situations like Majd's and they said no, even though UNRWA's purpose is to provide for Palestinian refugees' basic needs. I, irate at the UN and frightened for the potentially fatal state of my friend's health, said that was ridiculous and went on for a bit like that, saying that I couldn't believe it and telling Majd that this was her health. Majd asked me not to tell her anymore about the gravity of her situation because there was simply no money to fix it. I realized that my words to her could make it seem like I was assuming that she could easily come up with 2,500 shekels which were simply unavailable to her and that I even may have sounded a little naïve, do-gooder-y, and patronizing all at the same time. I told her I was sorry, and later I spoke with my mother about the situation. We agreed that although the stated purpose of the Hammash Scholarship Fund is to pay Majd's tuition at Bethlehem University, that it would also pay for her health emergencies.
Therefore, I am asking you to give more than you can to pay for Majd's treatment. If ten people paid $80, we would have more than enough. Please make your checks out to Al-Awda and put Hammash Scholarship Fund in the Memo. Your donation will be tax-deductible this way.
Mail your checks to:
Al-Awda
P.O. Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013
Thank you very much for helping Majd get better. She is one of my dearest friends and a fabulous person. She, my mother, and I hope very much that she can someday be in the US and meet you all.
An article about the Israeli incursion into Dheishah on September 25, 2008 can be found here: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32160
