It takes one nice word to make her day, and one chemo therapy to break it down.

When talking about a 4 years old young girl, who has been battling cancer for more than two years, when doctors are telling her mom that there is no way back, they have lost hope, she instead draws a red butterfly, with wings wide open. She would smile to the camera, a smile that says: I will never surrender, see you soon.

This is Suzan, who taught us how to smile from pain, and how it’s important to have courage in the darkest days, to keep on going.

On the other side of the beautifully painted hallway, lies a room for a little fighter. Mohamad or “Hamoudi” as what he likes to be called.

You can hear his laughter all the way outside the cancer unit in the hospital, he would educate you, the moment you enter his room, how you should act around kids who have cancer: “don’t touch this. Don’t do that. No, you should wear gloves.”

He would comment on almost everything he sees, whether he liked it or not, he would express his thoughts and he would immediately speaks out his mind.

Hamoudi took advantage of all of I Leaf Art team, the way the team wanted things to happen. He refused but playing the guitar that was part of the entertainment taking place that day, and asking how he would synch the sounds. He then insisted to paint his own mask, and after all he invited the team to play along with his new toy, and pretended to be having dinner, sea food dinner in particular and even left space for leftovers!!

Right next to Hamoudi’s room, there is Alaa’, her right leg was removed due to a severe infection in her bones. However, she still wears the Harley Davidson scarf, dreaming that one day she would be able to go over Lebanon riding a motorcycle and feeling the wind blowing in her hair, she never lost hope, even as a teenager who have went through way too many surgeries and hard times, she lost all of her hair, yet, she never lost her spirit, and she is still aiming high, I Leaf Art team met her one day earlier to her final chemo therapy before she goes home, and she told them how excited she is to celebrate the Eid with her family, no she was not thinking about cancer or the chemo, she kept on thinking about the new clothes and the family gathering awaiting her in couple of days.

Blessed the soul of Soujoud, the little warrior who left us last week, the amazing girl who helped painting the cancer unit, to make it a slightly better place for those whom their battle is still going.

Written by Mariam Mohammad Mosleh

Leafer since 2013