I received the letter below from a friend of mine who is currently in Palestine. Please take the time to read it because it is a heart felt account that is truly inspirational.
Dear Loved Ones,
I hope this letter finds you in the best health and spirits. I’m writing to share a very special encounter I had yesterday here in Palestine in hopes that you may be as moved or inspired as I still am. Some of you may know that I sponsor a child here through the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF). It’s a an incredible organization that serves the medical and humanitarian needs of Palestinian children in the Middle East, oftentimes sending kids to the US to be treated there.
I’m sponsoring Thaer, an eleven year old boy from Beitunia who was born blind yet had surgery three years ago to restore most of his vision. Thaer is the youngest of five siblings, three of whom are blind (a genetic defect inherited from their father, who is also completely blind). His medical expenses include glasses, contact lenses, eye drops for his glaucoma etc, and the 50 dollars a month I pay as his sponsor goes towards covering those expenses. Over the months I’ve received pictures of Thaer and letters written by his mom updating me on his health and the family’s news. As soon as I decided to travel to Palestine a couple of months ago I immediately made arrangements to visit him.
I met his mother, Im Thaer, at the PCRF office in Ramallah and took a taxi with her to Beitunia. She may well be one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever met. Im Thaer is the sole benefactor of the family (her blind husband has never worked) and she provides for the entire family by cleaning houses in Ramallah in addition to doing part time sewing work. She’s a humble woman, soft spoken yet candid about her family’s financial situation and the health of her children and husband. In the taxi going to their house, she told me that she willingly married her husband knowing he was blind when she was nineteen and was drawn to him for his complete honesty with her about his life, health and family. She didn’t think the blindness would be passed on to her children and suffered a great shock when her second born, Samia, was diagnosed with blindness at 4 months.
Im Thaer didn’t complete high school, but her vision for a more progressive society that accepts disabled people transcends any level of education. She spoke of the hardships her children face being blind in a society that systematically marginalizes them and at best, pities them. What good does it serve her children, she rhetorically asked, to have an Annual Day for the Disabled where the kids are paraded around the street soliciting transitory pity from onlookers? She works tirelessly to ensure that her kids will one day be self-sufficient and not dependent on handouts from other people. She pushed for them to be educated with the belief that if they’re unable to find work in the future, the school where they received their education can always hire them.
Her daughters learned braille in a special school for the blind, which only teaches up to the tenth grade (an indication that society has no plans for them to excel beyond that and finish high school). The principal of a regular school refused to admit Samia for the eleventh and twelfth grade insisting that a blind girl has no place there and wouldn’t survive. Im Thaer persisted and begged the school to try her daughter out if just for one week to see how she manages. Samia, always a bright and dilligent student, ended up being the top student in her class and the recipient of many awards. She’s now studying at Birzeit University. This example of Im Thaer’s devoted effort to ensure that her children receive their rights is just one of many, and she has frequently gone on the radio to lambaste any school or minister official that wronged her kids on account of their disabilities.
Upon arriving to their humble home, I was greeted by Thaer’s four sisters (two of which are blind) followed by little Thaer wearing very thick round glasses with light blue rims. His mother had told me about the difficulties he experiences at school, where he’s frequently bullied for being different. Thaer wears his glasses to school out of fear that his contact lenses may fall out, making him the subject of mockery by his classmates who sometimes try to break the glasses or steal their case from his backpack. He’s a noticeabley shy boy and feels insecure as an outcast. His favorite subject in school is Arabic and he writes poetry about life being unfair to him and his family.
He immediately sat on the sofa next to his mom after greeting me and rested his head on her lap for her put in his contacts for him. He sees better this way and is more confident. Once the contacts where in, he whispered something to his mom. She smiled and nodded and he left the room. Im Thaer explained that Thaer was really excited to learn that I was coming to visit several weeks ago and has been looking forward to meeting me. He gets a daily allowance of 2 shekels (around fifty cents) and has been saving his allowance for weeks to buy me a present! He returned with a bag carrying two gift wrapped packages and an envelope. Inside the packages were hair clips, a headband, nail polish, a trinket for the cell phone, a bracelet, etc and the envelope contained a letter written by his mom but dictated by Thaer that said how happy he is to be able to meet me and that he hopes I accept this simple gift as a token of his gratitude for easing the family’s burden. Needless to say, the gesture had the tears streaming from my eyes and never have I received such a memorable, thoughtful present.
Im Thaer kept mentioning how surprised she was to see how young I am and that she didn’t expect that my generation living outside Palestine would care about those younger than us. I assured her that those of us in the diaspora, young and old, never forget the homeland and all those who remain. It hit me that I saw in Thaer the same thing I saw in the children at Sabra and Shatilla camp just a week prior: innocence in its purest form at risk of eventually being tainted by a life of imposed limitations and possibilities denied. The Palestinian plight has irreversibly shaped each one of our lives and you can’t help but wonder, if history or destiny had played out differently, where would you be? You can’t help but count your blessings and commit to helping your brethren who are less fortunate in whatever way you can. I’m overwhelmed by the gratitude expressed by Thaer and his family and ashamed I haven’t done more....
When Thaer grows up, he wants to be a taxi driver, he told me. This summer he begged his parents to let him work selling gum in the streets of Ramallah. They forbid him from doing so out of fear of something happening to him because the roads aren’t safe and he doesn’t see well. I hope that the realm of what’s dreamable and possible expands for Thaer and for all of the children like him.
I apologize that this letter has gotten lengthy but even so there’s plenty I didn’t include! My real objective in writing it is to share what was truly a special and memorable day, but to also encourage you to consider sponsoring a child with PCRF if it’s within your means. I saw how gratefuI Thaer’s mom was for the small monthly donation and felt how much it means to Thaer that someone far away cares about him. I can put you in touch with the appropriate contact person at PCRF if you’re interested, just let me know.
I’m also attaching three pictures I took there: one of Thaer and his mom, one of me and him, and one of him alone in front of the house. He has learned how to read and write and wrote some grafitti on the outside of their house in red as shown in the picture. He’s truly a sweet, lovable boy and I ask that you always keep him and his family in your prayers.
Love,
Dena
ok.. i am soo shocked. i am supposed to be getting a dress made for my henna by a woman in butinia... i think this is her! i remember hearing something about blindness in her family.. omg what a small world! can anybody tell me if this is her?!
Posted by: lalala | July 22, 2011 at 07:26 PM