Augusta Victoria-Hospital staff work hard to provide medical and mental support
LWI) - There were 96 patients and companions from Gaza at the Augusta Victoria Hospital (AVH) in East Jerusalem when Israel started bombing the Gaza Strip. The patients and their companions have been living in the hospital compound for almost seven months, and receiving news that their homes have been destroyed and family members killed. On a recent visit to the hospital, Lutheran World Information (LWI) learned about their stories and how the situation impacts their treatment.
"When the war started, I wanted to stop my therapy and go back home," says Nour (names of patients and companions changed). The young woman came for a complex surgery and treatment of a brain tumor, leaving her husband, son, and three daughters in Gaza. Her family convinced her to stay at the hospital. They did not expect to be separated for such a long time.
Afraid to hope
Nour learned on the phone that their home was destroyed, and the family had been evacuated to Rafah, where they are now living in a tent. Her youngest daughter is four years old. Despite their situation, the family tries to support her. "My children say: We have seen how sick you were; it is good that you are at the hospital. But when your treatment is done, please, please come back to us!" she says with tears in her eyes.