'My books are with me'

Babil student forced to travel to Najaf for life-saving thalassemia care

11:38

NAJAF — Noor Thamer, a high school student from the town of Nile in Babil governorate, spends four days a week at Al-Zahra Teaching Hospital in Najaf undergoing blood transfusions for thalassemia — but remains focused on her education, preparing for exams while receiving treatment.

“We don’t consider the illness a barrier, because we’ve gotten used to it,” Noor told 964media from the hospital’s thalassemia ward. “We, as thalassemia patients, live with the illness and receive help from the nurses who care for us and provide the necessary blood.”

A tenth-grade science student, Noor said she studies whenever she can, often bringing her books to the hospital. “I’m now studying Arabic language and preparing for the exam,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t bring my books, but when I return home, I study with focus.”

She requires transfusions four times a week due to consistently low hemoglobin levels. “My hemoglobin is always 5, so I need blood units on Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday,” she said.

Her mother, who accompanied her during treatment, described Noor as ambitious and resilient. “My daughter is very ambitious and loves studying a lot, even though she went through many health difficulties like an enlarged spleen and liver,” she said. “She had surgery, yet she still went to her exams and, thanks to God, scored 100 in mathematics.”

But the family faces serious logistical challenges in accessing care. “The most difficult thing we face now is the condition of the thalassemia center in Babil,” her mother said. “The building was old and nearly collapsing. Recently, they moved us to a new center, but it’s not equipped. They placed us on the upper floor, in the blood bank, which is very cramped.”

“Just last week, I was sitting on the ground with my daughter and another patient,” she added. “There aren’t even enough chairs.”

Because of the unreliable services in Babil, the family travels frequently to Najaf. “We live in the Nile district, in Babil, on the international highway, and we suffer a lot. There’s no major thalassemia center in Hilla that provides blood regularly,” she said. “So, we are forced to go to the Najaf center. There, they draw blood for us at any time, unlike in Babil, where we have to wait until 1 p.m., even though we arrive in the morning.”