I’ve seen people maimed, others amputated. But I’m alright, I have hope

Anja was injured during the earthquake. He is currently beeing treated by a medical team in one of HI’s 13 partner hospitals in northwest Syria.

A teenager is lying on his hospital bed, his leg is broken and the physiotherapist makes him do rehabilitation exercises with his mother to support him.

Anja does rehabilitation exercises every day since he was admitted to hospital in Jindires, northwest Syria. | © HI

Anja is a 15-year-old Syrian teenager. He was sleeping, as were his brother, his three sisters and his parents, when the walls of his house began to shake.

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“I asked my father what was happening. He told me to run outside. When I got outside, the wall around our house fell on me and broke my leg. While I was still lying on the ground, I saw the house next-door collapse right before my eyes and people were screaming and shouting. It was my father who pulled me out of the rubble”.

It was dark, extremely cold and, because the access roads were blocked by collapsed buildings, it took several hours to get Anja to a hospital.

The teenager is suffering from multiple contusions and his right leg is broken. Every day, he does rehabilitation exercises. The medical team provides precious support.

“The first day, for example, when I tried to move my leg, I couldn’t do it. They encouraged me and thanks to those few words, I managed to move it”.

Anja considers himself lucky and hopes to recover quickly.

“I’ve seen a lot of things, I’ve seen people maimed and others amputated. Honestly, I’m alright. I have hope!”

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Date published: 06/03/23