19 January 2017
Through the Tertiary Healthcare fund, MAP supports Palestinian refugees struggling to access healthcare while coping with the difficult conditions of displacement. We have told the stories of a number of the individuals helped through this programme, but Abu Maher is perhaps one of the most heartbreaking cases we have interviewed so far.
Abu Maher* lives in a deserted single-room structure with a roof and only two walls located in a small field where residents of nearby buildings dump their rubbish and old furniture. The room is surrounded by large potholes that have become filled with rainwater and mud.
The temperature was 9 °C and rain was falling heavily when MAP visited him. It was unthinkable that a human being could live in this uninhabitable place. The sixty-six-year-old man, who has become completely immobile after the amputation of his second leg one month ago, was sitting alone in a cold, dark room, with bedsheets serving as walls. He had no electricity, heating source, running water, or even a bathroom.
Abu Maher is a father of seven children, two sons and five daughters. The family used to live a comfortable life in one of the Palestinian refugee camps in Syria. When the war started and the security situation deteriorated, the family were separated as they sought safety in different countries. Some of the family members went to Germany, others to Jordan and Turkey, some stayed in Syria. Abu Maher came to Lebanon by himself.
When he first arrived in Lebanon five years ago, Abu Maher stayed in Ein el Helweh camp. However, he had to leave the camp after a few years because, he says, the children there used to follow him in the streets, making fun of the way he walked, and throwing stones at him. He wanted to go to a place where nobody knew him.
Abu Maher didn’t have any money or family to support him, so he started sleeping on the pavements. For months, he slept outside a shop owned by a man called Karim. Karim is a kind-hearted person who used to let him stay next to his shop and occasionally gave him some food. Later on, the residents of nearby buildings complained and forbade him from sleeping on the neighborhood’s pavements.
Meanwhile, Abu Maher’s health condition started to deteriorate. He has had diabetes for more than 15 years and had his first leg amputated seven years ago. He also suffers from dementia and has a hard time remembering to take medication necessary to treat his condition. To make things worse, Abu Maher started having an infection in his second leg that made him barely able walk.
Karim took Abu Maher to a doctor where he was told that he has gangrene, and that an amputation was necessary to save his life. Neither Karim nor Abu Maher were able to afford the cost of the surgery. Abu Maher considered to forego the surgery when the hospital informed him that UNRWA and MAP, through the grant received from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, would be able to cover the cost of this vital surgery and hospitalisation.
After the surgery, Karim and other friends tried to help Abu Maher and found him the abandoned room where he could stay for free. They also got him a mattress and bedsheets to replace the missing walls. Every few days, Karim checks on Abu Maher and brings him food and water.
Karim is aware that the place Abu Maher lives in is not suitable for his health condition. The unsanitary conditions, poor nutrition, and the cold weather are causing his frequent illness and infections. Abu Maher is also not capable of taking care of himself. Karim believes that Abu Maher will not survive if he doesn’t get proper care- which is unfortunately beyond his financial capacity to provide.
When we asked Abu Maher why he doesn’t ask his children for help, he said that their conditions are not any better and he doesn’t want to be a burden on them. According to Karim, Abu Maher has lost contact with his family ever since he arrived to Lebanon.
It was obvious that Abu Maher avoids talking about his family and his life in Syria – but when he spoke to MAP’s team it was unclear whether he is unable to remember these details or if he wants to keep his past hidden. Abu Maher doesn’t wish to go back to Syria and wants to stay in this room where he at least feels safe. He only wishes to have a wheelchair so that he is able to move around and go outside to see people. In fact, Abu Maher is entitled to more than a wheelchair; he has the right to a dignified life and to proper elderly care.
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* This case study is based on information provided by Karim and Abu Maher. Names have been changed to protect identities.