Syrian Girl Rescued After Quake Battles ‘Crush Syndrome’

Syrian girl rescued

Syrians are moved by the fate of a brave nine-year-old girl named Sham, who captured tragedy, hope, and pain after an earthquake devastated her war-torn country. 

Trapped under rubble for 40 hours Syrian girl rescued alive, but now faces amputation of both legs due to tissue damage caused by contusions, doctors say. 

Sham was praised for her bravery after humming the tune with her White Helmet rescuers, who worked for six hours to extricate her from the concrete – scenes captured in footage that went viral online.

“It gave us strength when we felt it,” said one of the group’s volunteer rescuers, Mohammed Nasreddine, recalling them humming “Damascus” together. “Our joy was indescribable,” said Nasreddin, whose White Helmet group is known for rescuing people from bombed buildings in rebel-held areas during the Syrian girl rescued civil war.

Sham, like many survivors of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria on February 6, now suffers from what doctors call crush syndrome. 

It occurs in limbs that have been perfused for too long and begin with severe pain in the affected limb, which in the early stages can still feel healthy. 

In this condition — known medically as rhabdomyolysis — the muscle fiber dies and is released into the bloodstream, sometimes leading to kidney failure. 

patients appear to be in good condition before beginning to deteriorate. “It’s what we call the ‘death smile,'” said orthopedist Tarek Mustafa, a Syrian girl rescued who explained that it can lead to heart and other life-threatening complications. 

“Sham is one of many patients with the syndrome who have been admitted to hospitals in the region,” said Dr. Mustafa, with health authorities in the rebel-controlled Idlib region reporting at least 100 cases of this boy. 

Many of these victims are traumatized children, some having already lost one or both parents in the tragedy. 

Sham’s mother and sister died when the family building collapsed in the city of Armanaz in northwestern Idlib province, while his father and two brothers survived. 

The family moved there in 2019 after fleeing a military offensive by the Russian-backed Syrian girl rescued regime, which has regained control of most of the country since the war began in 2011. Possible amputations of Sham’s leg have been postponed for now, but he’s still not sure, Dr. Mustafa, who works at one of the Syrian girl rescued American Medical Association hospitals in the Northwest. 

When the White Helmets learned that Sham’s legs could be amputated, they tweeted asking their followers to pray for them and other survivors struggling with crush syndrome. 

Another first responder in the group, Ziad Hamdi, recalled: “I was working to free his legs and tears came to my eyes. Reminded me of my five-year-old daughter.” In the clip, he can be heard promising to take Sham to the amusement park if he can hang on a little longer.

“I want to dress nicely,” the girl answered happily. “I want to be a princess.” “He has spirit, I didn’t expect such a reaction” from a little girl fighting for her life, Hamdi said. “We promised. I’ll take her to the carnival and buy her whatever she wants.”

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