The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXX

Salsabil Rageh
Hayfa Al-Jabobi, Teacher
Sawdah Bint Zamah, Al-Sabeen, Sana’a, Yemen
Since my childhood, I have suffered from a disease that has been a major
obstacle to my ambition. It hampers my ability to have fun and play like other
children. And if it were not for my persistence and determination, I would
not have been able to live with this disease called thalassemia. This disease
forces me to change my blood every fifteen days, which causes me great stress
and suffering. The days between one blood transfusion and another are spent
waiting for the day that I will go to change my blood again.
This disease requires the use of many medicines, all of which cause me many
issues. This treatment is highly expensive and is a burden on my family’s
expenses. There are days when I want to surrender to the disease, but I always
regain my strength and determination to continue my life naturally, aside
from my inability to play and have fun with my friends since this causes me
high inflammation and pain.
I continue my studies excellently without stopping, and I have friends who
love and care about me. My teachers love and help me as well. The saddest
thing is that my little sister has the same disease, so I started encouraging
her, teaching her how to deal with it and how to be strong and continue her
life normally. I spend a lot of time with her to prove to her that it is a disease
that we can live with.
Because of the war and the lack of medicine, we had to delay changing the
blood for more than fifteen days. This caused me great trouble and pain,
but neither my studies nor my life were affected. I often hide my pain and
tiredness from my mother so that she does not grieve. She already always stays
up late and works for us. I ask her to take care of my little sister, telling her
that I am fine and I feel no pain. This disease also requires oxygen tanks, and
we have faced difficulty due to the lack of oxygen in the recent period due to
the coronavirus, but I sit with myself and inhale the air calmly so that I do not
need oxygen. I do not like to be looked at with pity, so I live normally and with
confidence and commitment, going to school, studying, and taking care of my
relationships with my friends and teachers. I hope that I will be cured of this
disease and live my life normally, and it will be nothing but memory and a tale
of that disease and how I dealt with it.
The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond
114