REFUGEE STORIES: The Khaled Edition

In 2013, Khaled was leaving his home for work when he was injured in an airstrike. The bombing left him with many injuries including deep wounds in his leg, which got infected and led to amputation. His teenage son was also badly injured, with pieces of shrapnel remaining embedded in his neck near his spinal cord. Together, they crossed the border into Turkey with hopes of safety and better healthcare. However, the language barrier between them and Turkish doctors made the healthcare process extremely difficult. They turned to Relief International’s refugee center in Istanbul for help.

At Relief International, Syrian doctors are the primary source of care for Arabic-speaking refugees, while Turkish doctors oversee them and approve prescriptions to ensure compliance with the law. Khaled’s care team is now in the process of building him a prosthetic leg, with no cost to him. Khaled hopes that the leg will give him back his ability to work, and rebuild his life. When asked about any hopes to return to Syria, he said “Syria is finished for me. I had property, my workshop, cars... It was all destroyed in the bombing. I have nothing left there.”