DEARBORN HEIGHTS — On Wednesday, 12-year-old Muath Abudaher arrived at Detroit Metro Airport, where he was greeted by Dearborn Heights resident Yasmeen Hamed, who along with her husband and four children, will be hosting his three month stay in the country.  Abudaher, who resides in Gaza with his 11 siblings and his father, is here on a visa trying to seek medical attention for his amputated leg. 

The initiative was organized by the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF), who brought three other children along with Abudaher to seek medical attention, making them the first group of children to travel to the U.S. since last week’s Israeli cease fire. 

Hamed says this isn’t the first child she has hosted at her home. Through the PCRF, she has also hosted the stay of two other girls in the past, both seeking treatment from Dr. Jiab H Sulieman, who sponsored the cases along with Abudaher’s current case. At the age of 4, Abudaher’s mother passed away. A couple of years later, he ended up losing his leg due to bone cancer. 

Muath Abudaher

The PCRF have been spearheading these types of cases for years now, flying children in need of medical attention to different countries and giving them new hope. The PCRF doesn’t just target Palestinian children, they have helped children from other Middle Eastern countries as well, regardless of nationality and religion. In fact, it’s because of Hamed’s close ties to the organization that she continues to be involved with the cases today.

“My parents hosted the first children that were ever brought over here. It’s been something I have been involved in for a long time. After I became the coordinator for the Detroit Chapter, I put myself in other people’s shoes. I have a special needs child and if I had to send them away, I would hope someone else would take good care of them,” Hamed said.

Hamed will be catering to Abudaher for the next three months, making him feel at home as they try to figure out the type of medical attention he needs. Doctors already expect that he might need to get a prosthetic leg, but surgery isn’t a certainty. 

While conditions in Gaza were horrendous over the last month, Abudaher was privileged to be out of the country. He was in Egypt waiting for his visa to be cleared so he could come to the U.S., but he says his family was fortunate enough to not be affected by the war. 

Abudaher is shy and can speak very little English, but it was clear that he was very grateful about the current outreach provided to him. He says when his family found out he would be coming to the U.S., they were ecstatic. He says his family always talks greatly of the U.S., but questions why President Obama has not done more to aid the Palestinians who continue to suffer. Abudaher hopes one day he can see peace and love between the Israeli’s and Palestinians. 

Hamed, who is an American born Palestinian, is urging locals to help out in any way they can. She says any little bit of time or money will go a long way to helping families and children in the Middle East. The PCRF is a registered non-profit organization, established in 1991 with a main objective to identify and treat children in the Middle East who are in need of specialized surgery that is not available to them locally.  With over 15 chapters in the U.S. and a chapter in the United Arab Emirates, it is very easy to get involved.

For information on the PCRF, visit their website at www.pcrf.net. For information on the PCRF’s Detroit Chapter and an update on Muath Abudaher’s stay in the U.S., visit their Facebook page at //www.facebook.com/ThePalestinesChildrenReliefFundDetroitChapter.