Home means Northern Nevada for several refugee families. They’ve recently moved to the region as part of the United State’s 2017 commitment to resettle 110 thousand people from the global refugee crisis. Often times, they have endured physical and mental trauma. As Reno Public Radio’s Anh Gray learns from one Syrian family, while they are charting a new path in life, some medical issues will linger.
Still a bit drowsy from a late morning nap, nearly three-year-old Rahjad Mustafa is snug in his Star Wars-themed pajamas. His mother Nibhar Sheikmous tries to entertain him by turning on cartoons.
Sitting by Rahjad in the living room of their cozy and tidy apartment is his father Zakaria. The family seems at ease on a Sunday morning. But this newfound peace and sense of place were elusive to them until recently.
Arriving in Reno about two months ago, they’re the first Syrian refugees to resettle in the area.
Meryem Baayoud is a volunteer interpreter with Northern Nevada International Center. Translating for the family, she says Zakaria is grateful his family is safe. He hopes that in America, he can forge a new path and also get medical care for injuries to his left arm and mouth.
“He got that injury waiting in the line, because when they need the bread,” Baayoud explains. “They need to wait like 12, 13 hours to get a couple pieces of bread so they can feed their family.”
That long line came under attack, likely from government forces. This happened in the Syrian city of Aleppo. After getting hit by shrapnel, Zakaria was thrown in a pick-up truck and transported to a hospital.
“He thought that he’s dying and because he sees blood everywhere, in his face and his arms, everywhere, and people are just all bloodied,” Baayoud describes what happened to Zakaria in the aftermath of the explosion.”
To make matters worse, Nibhar along with her family were visiting him in the hospital when it was bombed. Part of the hospital collapsed. They hid in the basement for several hours. This is the type of destruction that has prompted the United Nations to accuse the Syrian government of attacking hospitals as a “weapon of war.”
For Nibhar, this was a very low moment.
“They were shocked; she thought that he was going to die,” Baayound translates for Nibhar about her fears during Zakaria's ordeal. “Because what happened was very bad.” Nibhar gets quite emotional recalling the incident.
Anh Gray: “Oh, I’m so sorry,
Meryem Baayoud: “It’s okay. Oh, don’t cry. It’s alright.”
For Nihbar, reliving that time is too hard. And even though they did make it out alive, Zakaria ended up not receiving proper medical treatment for his injuries. Shrapnel ripped through his left arm and he has bone fragments from his jaw still lodged in his gums.
“Sometimes he panics because he wants to be like a normal person, opening his hand and doing whatever he used to do, and it’s very hard,” Baayoud explains of the difficulties Zakaria says he experiences because of his injuries.
Before leaving Syria, Zakaria was a news cameraman. He’s also Kurdish, belonging to the largest ethic minority group in the country. To escape the violence in Syria, Zakaria fled with his family to Turkey. While there, they endured poor living conditions and even more heartache. Nibhar was pregnant with her second child and miscarried at seven months.
Even though they now have a chance to start over, Nibhar still has nightmares.
“She is still scared,” Baayoud says about Nibhar. “She freaks out when Zakaria goes outside and leaves her at the house. She’s not doing good with that.”
It hasn’t been easy for Nibhar to shake some of the horrors she witnessed back in Syria, including seeing a boy killed.
“An 11-year-old boy, he was slaughtered in front of her eyes,” Baayoud says that Nibhar can't erase this from her memory. “That was the most shocking thing.”
Clearly moved by the couple’s struggle, Meryem Baayoud adds her own perspective about the violence in Syria.
“This doesn’t have to do anything with religion,” Baayoud says. “This is torturing people; this is against humanity. And Islam never says that.”
The United Nations Special Envoy estimates that about 400 thousand people have been killed during the five-year Syrian conflict, which is still ongoing.
For survivors, like the Mustafa family, as refugees in the U.S., they’ll receive federal support like health care. That’s part of the Refugee Act of 1980, but even with benefits like Medicaid, coverage is limited and more hurdles remain.
This is the first of a two-part series. Click here for the second part.
