Hi, I am Mohammad Ali Fakih, a loving husband, father of two kids, and a researcher at the University of Bristol in the UK. I'm trying to fundraise for my wife's (Areej) family who is displaced in Lebanon due to the war situation, and especially for my mother-in-law Layla who is a cancer patient.

Layla, who used to live with her loving family in the South of Lebanon, was diagnosed with a stage-4 ovarian cancer last year (during the ongoing war). After that, she had to go through several sessions of chemotherapy (partially supported by the government) then a very big surgery (not supported by the government). Layla's family were self-employed and financially stable before the war, but during the war (also precedented by the severe financial crisis in Lebanon since 2019), they had to start spending their savings because the economy in the South of Lebanon was continuously degrading and almost frozen. The medical surgery was a huge financial transformation for them because it costed 17,750 USD. They managed to get around 4,510 USD of support from different associations in Lebanon, but they still paid around 13,240 USD, which was most of the cash they had.

On September 23, 2024, Layla and her family had to suddenly evacuate after a strong airstrike hit their neighbour's house, killed two innocent young ladies, a little boy, and a pregnant woman with her baby. The strike was so strong that it has smashed the glass and blown out the windows of Layla's house. Thank God, they were not injured..

Layla had to restart her chemotherapy in Beirut, but all of a sudden, the government stopped covering her treatment. Since her displacement, she paid around 2,250 USD for the treatment, tests, and medical visits. They had to ask for money for the first time in their life! In addition, Layla needs to pay around 2,635 USD for two more chemotherapies within this month. On top of that, and although she was doing very well after her surgery (doctors were very optimistic), she is now having heart complications because of all the difficulties she has passed through, which is causing even more stress and medical and financial difficulties.

After the two chemotherapies, she has to take a new medication called "Lynparza" which costs around 6000 USD per month. The doctor "Prof. Georges Chahine" is saying that the government is not covering this medication anymore, but he says it is the medication necessary for her case. In addition to "Lynparza", she has to take another drug called "Avastin" every 21 days for two years, which will also cost her around 900 to 1000 USD every 21 days.

Even though they are displaced, unemployed, with no government or any sort of support, they still have to pay all this money for medication in addition to their daily expenses. A few days ago, they had again to leave the flat where they were staying to another 2-bedroom flat where 4 families are now living together (including 6 children). If the war continues, they might have to find another flat to stay in. This will add another 3200 USD to their expenses due to the very high rent rates in relatively safe areas in Lebanon and the greediness of flat owners and brokers (an average rent for a furnished flat is now around 800 USD/month + they usually ask for three months in advance + the brokers ask for 1 month rent for themselves). If they couldn't find that money, they will have to stay in the same place, despite her need for a healthy place to rest and avoid any viruses during her chemotherapy.

I have never imagined in my life to reach a point where I feel the need to raise money for my parents-in-law, but the situation has unfortunately gone well beyond our financial capabilities. We are hoping that kind people like you will be able to help us in this difficult situation.

Paying even a little is better than nothing, and God promises to give back to those who pay for charity multiples of what they have given whether in this life or in the after life. God bless you all, and we hope you would never experience such difficulties in your lives. May God ease all your needs!

Many thanks and best regards,

Mohammad Ali and Areej