Our Story

My name is Yazan Shaheen, I am a young Sy.rian doctor on the verge of graduation, with a lifelong dream of specializing in psychiatry. For the last five years, I have dedicated myself to spreading mental health awareness and helping people heal. My hope was to take the next step in my journey abroad, to continue my specialization and return to serve a community that desperately needs it.

But on the night of Wednesday, September 3, 2025, everything was stolen from us.

At around 9:30–10 PM, in our quiet village Al-Mawlid near Qardaha, more than eight heavily ar.med, masked men stormed our home. They carried r.ifles and claimed to be from the General Security. Within seconds, they surrounded the house, ordering us not to move.

We were frozen in terror. Given the ongoing violence against minorities in Sy.ria, we thought we were going to be un-alived that night.

They told us they are here to search the house and they couldn't found any thing illegal then they wanted to take me and my father for a "check up" but My mother collapsed on the floor, crying and begging them not to take me and my father away when they threatened to.

Instead, they took everything we owned:

Our cars: a gray Hyundai Avante 2008 (plate 744395 Damascus) and a gray Mercedes E350 2011 (plate 355530 Damascus).

All our devices: my iPhone 16 Pro Max, my Xiaomi Pad SE, my family’s Xiaomi 14 Pro and Xiaomi 13 Pro.

My personal university bag: containing my national ID, my university card, my professional files, and my house keys.

Our entire life savings and family gold, the money we had carefully collected over years to fund my education and residency abroad.

They packed everything into a bag and disappeared into the night. When we rushed to the local security office, they confirmed these men were not real officers-true officers don’t wear masks or enter homes in this way. And we told them the whole sotry The next day, we filed a police report at the Criminal Security office, but since then, no protection, no help, and no answers have come.

The Aftermath

Today, we have nothing left. My dream to work on my residency and continue my psychiatry journey is shattered.

No phones, except an old, broken device I am using now just to write this story.

No money, no cars, no savings.

No official documents my bag held everything.

We are surviving only on what we can grow from our land: vegetables and preserved food. My parents, after decades of sacrifice, are left with nothing. My mother, who collapsed that night, is still shaken with fear.

And for me personally, the loss is devastating beyond words. My phone and bag contained five years of work in mental health, everything I built as a foundation for my future career. My chance to continue my psychiatry residency abroad—something I’ve dreamed about and worked toward for years was stolen in one night.

Why We Need Your Help

We are humbly asking for support to help us rebuild after this tragedy. The funds raised will go toward:

Supporting my family’s urgent survival needs after losing all our savings and cars.

Replacing stolen essentials: IDs, documents, phones, and household needs

Covering the costs of continuing my medical education and psychiatry specialization so I can still fulfill my dream of serving my community.

How You Can Help

Every donation, no matter how small, brings hope back into our lives. It will not only help us recover from this nightmare, but also give me the chance to rebuild my future and continue my mission to support others through mental health.

If you cannot donate, please share this campaign with your networks. Your solidarity, your compassion, and even your voice can make a difference.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening to our story, for standing with us, and for giving us a reason to hope again.

With gratitude,

Yazan and Family