ST. LOUIS – Hope landed in St. Louis on Sunday.
Nine-year-old Mustafa arrived at St. Louis Lambert International Airport from Gaza, ready to begin the treatment for his extensive leg injuries as war continues overseas. His journey is a lifeline that stretches thousands of miles, made possible by the group HEAL Palestine.
“If we brought one child every day for 100 years, we’d still have more children without limbs,” Linda Badran, the organization’s co-founder, said. “We used to say it’s a drop in the bucket, but now it’s a drop in the ocean. We’re doing what we can; that’s all we can do.”
HEAL Palestine has helped bring dozens of children from Gaza to the United States, offering them medical treatment they couldn’t access at home, while also tending to the child and family’s mental and social needs.
“I’m sure it’s gonna be an emotional journey at first, but we have a community that will rally around him and make sure he’s well taken care of,” Badran said. “People make meals, people take out; you know, it’s like everybody will connect with them at a level where they’re comfortable.”
Mustafa’s journey is more than a flight, it’s a reminder that kindness can cross oceans, and healing can begin with a single open door, even in the darkest hour.
“We’re watching this trauma for 260 more days and it’s every day. It’s an everyday genocide happening before our eyes and we are not okay,” Badran said. “We’re not doing okay and caring for this child makes it feel like we’re doing a little something for ourselves and for them.”
From the heartbreak of Gaza to the heartland of America. This is just the beginning of Mustafa’s road to recovery, right here in St. Louis.