Requesting Help

update on Jasmine's husband

Dear friends,

Many of you have read about, followed and supported the Syrian community in Fethiye—the little school we started, and sending a bunch of kids who have never seen the sea to the beach.

All these efforts were because of my friend Jasmine, a mother of two, wife of one, former primary school teacher in Syria and powerhouse of change, positivity and generosity. As I mentioned recently, Jasmine’s husband has cancer. We’ve just learned that it’s stage 3 sarcoma. They’ve been in Izmir (a 5-hour drive away) since last week getting more tests done, and will have to remain there for even more testing, chemotherapy and surgery. Her husband has had a large tumour in his face since April, and has had to have all his teeth removed. I can’t imagine the pain he’s had to endure.

Thankfully, most of the medical stuff is free, aside from the testing which is incredibly expensive, even by North American standards. But living in Izmir is costly, and while they are there of course neither of them can work. Their kids have to stay behind in Fethiye with Jasmine’s elderly parents.

The last times I asked for your help, I did it a la Love Flash Mob: if everyone contributed $5, that would be a whole lot of support for these people, who have had to face incredible hardship since coming to Turkey, on top of the mounting racist hatred that is going on towards Arabs here.

So I’m asking again. Even a small amount goes a long way—$5 Canadian can cover a meal, $20 is a night at the hotel they’re staying at right now. (We’ve been searching high and low for organizations that will support them to find them free accommodations or families that could put them up, but so far we haven’t had any luck.)

And again I will stress: I know there are so many places that are in need of support right now, and so many financial stresses. There is no pressure or judgement here if you can’t donate!

I don’t post photos of them here for safety reasons. But I am more than happy to share a photo or two privately, or answer any questions at all.

I am so grateful for your ongoing support for this community. It’s made a huge, lasting difference on many lives.

love,

Natalie

edited to add: e-transfer, Paypal and Wise (no fees via that link if you’re not already a member) are the best ways to get money to me which I will transfer to Jasmine’s account. I use Wise all the time from Turkey, it’s extremely reliable and has lower fees than PayPal.