Between Pain and Hope… Cancer Patients Tell Their Stories

 Since the bloody assault that struck Sweida province last July, cancer patients have faced life-altering challenges in securing their radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal treatments. The deterioration of security conditions along the Sweida–Damascus road has severely obstructed their access to Al-Biruni University Hospital. Where transportation once operated regularly — averaging around four trips per week — it has now dwindled, at best, to only two. More often, the trips stop altogether due to security risks and the inability to cover the fuel costs required to keep the buses running.
Alongside this hardship, the Friends of Cancer Patients Association in Sweida announced the complete depletion of its budget and its descent into financial deficit after sustained efforts to support patients across the province.
With the decline of expatriate donations — once a cornerstone of the local economy and charitable support — the association’s ability to provide assistance has sharply diminished. At present, even under the most favorable conditions, its support covers no more than 25% of treatment costs, after having previously shouldered the greater part of those expenses.
This harsh reality has led to devastating consequences. A number of patients have lost their lives due to interruptions in medication supplies and the inability to afford the exorbitant cost of treatment doses and medicines — even when those medicines remain available in local markets.
Despite the emergence of local initiatives, including charitable and solidarity-based fundraising funds, these efforts remain unable to bridge the vast gap between limited resources and the growing needs of thousands of patients across the province.