ROJ HOZAN

Qamishlo- Nejbîr Mihemed Îsmayîl, who was born and grew up in the Dêrik city of North and East Syria, works as a nurse at the Heyva Sor a Kurd (Kurdish Red Crescent). When she was treating the wounded during the fight against ISIS in 2016, she lost one of her legs in an explosion during the clashes. After a long treatment, she restarted working at the Heyva Sor a Kurd and now she makes prosthetic legs for people who have lost their legs like herself.

Now, she gives hope to people, who have lost their legs or arms in the war. As NuJINHA, we visited her to learn more about her.

 They were attacked by ISIS while treating the wounded

Short after the revolution started in North and East Syria, Turkish-backed factions intensified their attacks on the region. “As medical team of the Heyva Sor a Kurd, we fulfilled our duties by going to the frontline and treating wounded people. We were attacked by ISIS while treating the wounded. I lost one of my legs in the attack. Until the last minute before the attack, I treated the wounded and fulfilled my duty. I was a little nervous at first because losing a part of your body is not easy. People thought that I would not be as active as I used to be or act like a normal person. At the beginning, I faced difficulties but I managed to overcome them. I decided to choose a new life according to my new situation,” Nejbîr Mihemed Îsmayîl told us.

‘The work I do and what I do boost morale’

After a long treatment, Nejbîr Mihemed Îsmayîl began to make prosthetic legs to give hope and make life easier for people, who lost a part of their body, like herself. She talked about what she experienced after she lost her leg as follows: “After losing one of my legs, I made a prosthetic leg for myself and then I stayed at home to learn how to use it. I thought my new duty was to make prosthetic legs for other people. I took a six-month course on making prosthetic legs. Now, I am an expert in making prosthetic legs. There are many people who have lost their legs but do not accept their situation. When they see me, they become hopeful. I talk to them and tell them that I am in the same situation. The work I do and what I do boost their morale.”

‘Life goes on’

Nejbîr Mihemed Îsmayîl calls on people who have lost a part of their body to always be productive and never feel weak. “People who have lost a part of their body should not see it as the end of life because we can work and participate in all social activities. The Heyva Sor a Kurd offers its services to people and our units work actively. We provide health services to everyone visiting our headquarters and branches. We know that we can be attacked and lose a part of our body at any moment. Every person can experience various health problems at a certain period of life. However, we should not give up and feel weak under all circumstances because life goes on. We are not few people and we do our best to provide services to all people.”