The Syrian girl “Sham” and her brother “Omar” arrived in Abu Dhabi to receive the necessary treatment, as part of the efforts exerted to provide treatment and health care for the critically ill, who were affected by the devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey.
The Emirates Red Crescent, in cooperation with Burjeel Hospital, formed a specialized medical team for the Syrian girl, Sham and her brother, Omar, and provided urgent treatment for them in Burjeel Medical City.
Cooperation took place to prepare a special medical plane that transported the 9-year-old girl, Sham, and the 15-year-old, Omar, to Abu Dhabi, according to the Emirates News Agency, WAM.
After the two children arrived at Burjeel Hospital, the necessary surgeries were performed under the leadership of Dr. Michael Oglu, as the life of the child “Sham” was threatened with death as a result of “gangrene” that spread in the lower part of the body, and her brother “Omar” was also saved.
Dr. Oglu confirmed that the medical team made every effort to preserve their lives, and that the condition of the child, “Sham”, necessitated special surgical procedures due to her poor condition, and her arrival to critical stages that required rapid medical intervention.
For his part, Bashar Aleeq, a member of the “Sham” family who accompanied her to Abu Dhabi, appreciated this generous gesture, saying: “We are grateful to the leadership of the UAE, and Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, “Mother of the Emirates” for this noble work that they did for the sake of Sham and Omar. Where the doctors in Istanbul told us that Sham needs to perform amputations representing one hundred percent of the size of the leg because of the injuries she suffered, and because she did not receive the necessary treatment in a timely manner, but her father strongly refused, and we felt happy following that when it was decided for us to travel to the Emirates With a private plane carrying a specialized medical staff, which made us feel that we are in safe hands and that our condition will be much better than it is.”
The two children were received by the Minister of State, Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, the Secretary General of the Emirates Red Crescent, Hammoud Al Junaibi, the Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs, Sultan Muhammad Al Shamsi, and Shamsher Fayalil, the founder, chairman and managing director of the “VBS Healthcare” group in The UAE.
The story of the child “Sham” affected millions of people around the world, as she remained for 40 hours under the rubble following her house collapsed and the roof fell on her legs.
A video clip documenting the rescue of “Sham” was released on social media, in which she appeared lying under the rubble, talking to the rescue personnel, asking for a bottle of water, suggesting to them how it might be pulled, and singing a song bearing her name with them.
It is noteworthy that Sham’s mother and sister died, as a result of the devastating earthquake that struck large areas of Syria and Turkey, killing regarding 50,000 people.