https://arab.news/96ezg
- 6-figure donation will send 6-year-old born with no limbs to world-class clinic
- Condition believed to have been caused by Assad regime gas attack during mother鈥檚 pregnancy
LONDON: A Syrian child born with no limbs after his mother endured a gas attack during her pregnancy is set to receive four prosthetic replacements in Italy following a charity campaign.
Thanks to donations totalling 鈧�114,000 ($129,000), Mustafa Al-Nazzar, 6, will be treated by world-leading doctors at the INAIL prosthetic center near Bologna.
鈥淚t will be a complicated job, but we aim to allow Mustafa to live an autonomous life,鈥� said Gregorio Teti, technical director of the center that has worked with Alex Zanardi, the Formula One driver who lost his legs in a crash.
Al-Nazzar鈥檚 mother was pregnant when the Syrian regime dropped gas bombs on Idlib province in 2016. The event has been linked to the boy鈥檚 condition.
Like so many others caught up in the regime鈥檚 oppression and the ongoing conflict, the family fled to Turkey, where Al-Nazzar was photographed being held in the air by his father, who lost a leg following a bomb attack.
The famous photo captures their beaming smiles despite the suffering they have both endured.
The photographer was honored by the Siena International Photo Awards, which diverted the world鈥檚 eyes to the photo, inspiring the organizers of the prize to launch a charity appeal for Al-Nazzar.
鈥淲e feared that after the attention to the photo died down, the boy would get no help,鈥� said Luca Venturi, the prize founder.
The Italian government has assisted with visas to bring the whole family to Italy, including Al-Nazzar鈥檚 two younger sisters. The Catholic Church has offered the family an apartment.
Teti said Al-Nazzar鈥檚 new limbs could be adjusted to work thanks to small movements the boy makes in his shoulders and torso, which will require lengthy training sessions.
Venturi said: 鈥淎s he grows he will need to change limbs, while translators will be needed until the family can learn Italian. We are aiming to get to 鈧�400,000 raised.鈥�
Al-Nazzar鈥檚 father told Italian media: 鈥淢ustafa is really happy, he has said he will finally be able to walk, hug me and go to school on his own.鈥�