KENTWOOD, Mich. — A Syrian-American physician from West Michigan is working to rebuild what has been lost in his home country through medical missions, bringing hope to a nation recovering from years of conflict.
Dr. Mohammed Saleh holds his hometown Deir Ezzor in Syria close to his heart, describing it as a place "on the Euphrates, that had a lot of history, thousands and thousands of years of history."
The scale of Syria's humanitarian crisis weighs heavily on him. "The population of Syria is 24 million. Half of them, 12 million, were displaced, or 6 million displaced internally inside Syria," Saleh said.
For over a decade, Dr. Saleh has been part of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), a medical relief organization working to provide healthcare services during missions to Syria.
Dr. Saleh is one of more than 60 physicians from around the world making the trip, providing check-ups, medications, and emotional support to those in need.
"I really tried to spend [time in] the clinic not just checking the heart or lungs, but also checking on them. How many kids do you have? What they're doing? How do you spend your time," Saleh said. "Just try to get them to smile. Because sometimes those people, what they went through the last 14 years, hard to even get a smile out of them."
His passion for helping Syria has been passed down to his sons, Noah and Aabid.
"We made it a family affair, like the mission became part of our family tradition," Saleh said.
Aabid is also doing his part to give back, donating $200 from his allowance for kids in Syria. "I ended up taking it with me, buying stuff for them. He always buys stuffed animals. So, my suitcase is actually full of them," Saleh said.
Through these trips, the ultimate goal for Dr. Saleh and SAMS is clear: "to try to transform the healthcare. Our goal is any citizen of the world should deserve an excellent healthcare system like we enjoy here in the United States."
Dr. Saleh returns from his week-long medical mission Thursday and hopes to continue going on these trips as SAMS works to establish a stronger healthcare system in Syria.
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