‘We Syrians just want to survive’: doctor who saved lives as bombs rained down
Amani Ballour, whose work in a Damascus hospital is the focus of Oscar-nominated The Cave, tells why she is pleading for more aid
by Kim Willsher
Mar 08, 2020
3 minutes
There are many harrowing stories Amani Ballour can recount from her six years running a secret underground hospital during a bombardment and siege in Syria. But it’s the children the doctor remembers most.
“There was a boy, about nine years old, brought in by his parents with terrible injuries. Part of his head was missing and he was bleeding from his ears,” she said.
“It was obvious there was nothing we could do for him, but his heart kept beating and he kept breathing for hours. It was torture for his parents because we all
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