Prosthetic leg out of tin cans, filled with cotton and fabric remnants. The eight-year-old Maya ran daily through a refugee camp in Syria. Up images of their plight to the world. Now, the girl has a new prosthesis.
Five months ago, crawled Maja Merhi on cans tedious due to the refugee camp Serdschilla. Her father had made for help, so the Little one could move in the stock in the North of Syria at all in which the family lives since their escape from the province of Aleppo. Since Saturday, the eight-year-old runs and dances through the camp – thanks to the right prostheses, which have been adapted in Turkey.
Each week, a new prosthesis
Like her father, Mohammed, Maja was born due to a genetic defect with no legs. So that you can move over the rough ground of the camp, improvised Mohammed hoses for you a kind prostheses made of cans and Plastic. Every week he had to Tinker with new, because the doses were rapidly broken.
In June, the photos went around the world, such as Maja was hard on their cans of prostheses between the tents. The reactions in the networks were the Turkish Red Crescent will be on the fate of the Syrian refugee family’s attention. He invited you to Istanbul to get real prostheses to customize and adapt. The cost of a doctor who had seen a Video of the girl on the Internet took over.
On the top of the Turkish flag emblazoned thighs
After five months, Maja is back. In a pink sweater and matching sneakers, she walks with jerky steps, through the rocky and sandy streets. As the other children take to a dance, hands joined.
“I was so happy to see you run,” says Mohammed Merhi, as they sit together in their tent. “The whole family was happy.” He’s not smiling happy, even if he comes with his prostheses is not yet clear. Proud and a little shy, shows the eight-year-old, meanwhile, your artificial legs, pulls them out and back in. On the plastic thighs, the Turkish flag is emblazoned.
“All of a sudden she is so big”
“In the beginning it was hard to get used to it”, had told her uncle Hussein, the brother and niece of the Bosphorus. “Always crawled on their cans – and suddenly she is so big.” At first she was like a child learning to Walk, again and again fell down, he says. Sometimes Maja still uses crutches, but most of the time you can handle without Support.
Maja knows nothing other than war. The life in the camp was due to their disability even harder. They rarely left used to be the tent your family. Now she is often outside with the other children. And even if everyday life in the camp remains for the hart family, the prostheses and maja’s new freedom also to have something fun as a gift.
Father Mohammed also received prosthetic limbs in Turkey. He didn’t but still a solid Stand like his daughter, he says.