Muhammed Qamand, a nine year old Syrian refugee and double amputee currently living in Istanbul, Turkey
Muhammed Qamand is 8 years old. He is from the Ansari Sharqy area of Aleppo, Syria. On 2nd May 2012, Muhammed travelled to the Bab al Hadid area to visit grandparents with his mother, little brother, uncle and cousin. Muhammed’s father was at work at his barbers shop. It was a normal family day, Muhammed’s uncle shaving his grand-uncle, mother cooking lunch, his little brother sat on his grand-mother’s lap. At the time that area of Aleppo was held by rebel forces, the government launched an airstrike, an explosion from a rocket hit the house, killing Muhammed’s mother, brother, grand-uncle and grandparents, Muhammed’s legs were gone below the knee and his cousin received facial injuries. With the help of friends who had fled to Turkey, Muhammed and his father made it through rebel held areas across the border to Turkey. They live in Istanbul now supported by generous members of the Syrian community there. Muhammed has only ever had emergency surgery and will soon need an operation, he will soon begin to be at risk of suffering from a condition known as bone overgrowth in which his leg bones will start to grow through the ends of his stumps. He is currently using second hand prosthetics. At present he is suffering with back pain from the effort of learning to walk with his new prosthetics. Muhammed and his father live in a second floor apartment, this in itself provides a challenge for the family, Muhammed’s father still suffers from a chest wound received in Syria when a grenade exploded, he showed me the 10 inch scar when I met him. As Muhammed is not totally walking using his prosthetics he requires carrying often, this a challenge as his lack of limbs to balance the weight of his body makes him hard to hold and carry.
Size: 3599px × 5742px
Location: Fatih district, Istanbul, Turkey
Photo credit: © Jim Wood / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: aleppo, amputated, amputee, child, double, emergency, legs, rocket, shrapnel, surgery, syria, victim, war, wound, wounded
