In April, 5-year-old Sally and her family were seeking refuge under a tent in Gaza when a bomb went off.
Sally survived, but the blast left her with a severe head injury. Part of her skull is missing and needs to be covered with a titanium shield to protect her vulnerable brain.
On Tuesday, Sally and her mother touched down at O’Hare Airport so the 5-year-old can receive that critical treatment.
Sally and her mother will be staying with Dalal Yassin and her family in the south suburbs during their time in the Chicago area.
“We’re very excited,” Yassin said of hosting Sally and her mother. “This is the least we can do, we feel, so we’re very blessed to have this opportunity.”
Yassin, her husband and their three children were joined by about two dozen supporters who greeted Sally and her mother as they emerged from the customs section at Terminal 5. Sally was showered with pink flower petals. Some greeters held pink balloons, others carried signs that read “welcome to Chicago.”
Among those in the welcome party were two children who can relate to Sally’s difficult journey.
Khaleel Abu Shaban, 13, and Baraa Hadi Abu Alroos, 7, who both survived bombings in Gaza and arrived in Chicago for treatment earlier this month, were there to welcome Sally with flowers and balloons.
She is the fourth Palestinian child brought to Chicago from Gaza for medical care by the national nonprofit Heal Palestine.
Steve Sosabee, Heal Palestine’s director, said the local community has been very supportive and has welcomed the children as if they were their own.
“They are all staying with local families who are housing them and taking care of all their needs, so it’s just amazing how people come forward and are treating them like their own kids,” Sosabee said. “We’re so blessed to have this community.”
Sally will be treated by neurosurgeons at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Sosabee said.
At least 20 children from Gaza have been brought to the U.S. for free medical treatment since January, he said.
Yassin, 32, said one of her boys is about Sally’s age, and she looks forward to the two becoming fast friends. Yassin, who is Palestinian, said that hosting the family was one way she could help her community in Gaza.
“We feel like this is the only way we can give back to a situation like this,” Yassin said. “Seeing my brothers and sisters being in the midst of a genocide is truly heartbreaking while the whole world watches.”
Khalil Abu Shaban, who lost both of his legs in a Gaza airstrike, picks out a gift for Sally. Four children who were wounded in Gaza have been brought to Chicago for treatment by Heal Palestine.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
Since the war between Israel and Hamas began last year, Gazan authorities estimate that more than 14,000 Palestinian children have died in the conflict, and thousands more have been wounded.
Christopher Hernandez said he drove to O’Hare from Hinsdale to welcome Sally with a gift because he knows children have been suffering in the war. He gave Sally My Little Pony toys and other items for her to play with.
“Things that a little girl would love,” Hernandez said. “Little kids are going through a rough time right now, and it’s important to show kids love and support.”