#ibswarrior

Today I would like to talk about the sons of two of my friends. one is named Matt, and he is the son of a former college classmate of mine. the other is named Abdul Aziz, and his mother is my friend Hala @hala-15. Matt lives in the united states, and Abdul Aziz is from Gaza, but has recently been displaced to Egypt.

Both boys have a condition called hirschsprung's disease. hirschsprung's disease is something that children are born with and is usually diagnosed when they are still an infant. in hirschsprung's disease, the nerves in the colon do not form properly, leading to a portion of the colon being paralyzed. this means that children with hirschsprung's disease cannot pass waste without medical treatment, usually in the form of surgeries.

in countries like the united states, it is normal for these surgeries to be covered by insurance. matt had all his surgeries as a baby, and he is now a happy, active nine year old boy, who sings in his school choir, and loves building with legos. he has an illness, but he is still able to live a full life. However, in Egypt, Gazan parents have to pay for these surgeries out of pocket, and they are extremely expensive. Hala is trying to raise money to pay the 20,000 euros she needs to get Abdul Aziz his surgeries, so that he can grow up strong and healthy.

when I asked Hala what Abdul Aziz likes to do, so I could share his story in this post, she told me something heartbreaking. Seven-month-old Abdul Aziz does not have anything that he likes to do, because, as Hala said, his "illness even prevents him from crawling or playing like children his age."

so tell me: which child deserves medical care? if both of them deserve to live happy healthy lives, why is Abdul Aziz too sick to crawl or play like a baby should? ask these questions of your governments, of the world bank, of the IMF, and of Israel, who started this genocidal war. and help Hala raise funds for Abdul Aziz to get his surgeries, so that he too can live a full and happy life.

I had a dream where I was in a forest and there was an evil witch dressed in red who kept cursing me which was the cause for my chronic pain and fatigue. There was a little fairy who did her best to try and help me. I just wanted to escape the forest and go home, because then everything would be fine again.