Sunday, May 8, 2016

Syrian Family in Sweden Feels the Tug of an Ailing Sibling Left Behind

While the title of the article conjures feelings of pity and sadness, at the end of it you feel conflicted yet happy. The article's author, Anemano Hartocollis, writes of an extended Syrian family that made its way to the safety of Sweden. The article focuses in on 10 year old Widad Wajid and her brother 9 year old brother Nabih Wajid who's currently being treated for leukemia in Turkey. Widad doesn't currently have asylum which is an issue because she may be the only donor able to give bone marrow to her younger brother. Without legal residency she wouldn't be able to come back to Sweden if she went to try and save her brother. However, her asylum hearing was expedited and she was able to obtain a residency permit. Along with that good news, Widad and her extended family are enjoying the amenities of Sweden. The children go to school and are so eager to learn they ask for more homework. When they first made it to Sweden most of them had lost 10-15 lbs, but now they are about 5 lbs heavier. While a sense of community is not yet established they're adjusting to Sweden and have plans to start a business. Even though Widad is separated from her brother and her parents, who chose to stay with Nabih, there is an ounce of happiness in this story of wayward refugees.

-by Tyler Linthakhanh

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/08/world/europe/syrian-family-in-sweden-feels-tug-of-ailing-sibling-left-behind.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

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