The boy who stopped growing

There are so many achingly sad stories about refugees. But sometimes, there is one that makes you smile. Like Omar’s story. To see Omar is to love him. He is bright, irrepressible, and always smiling. But he has a problem. Meet Omar and his family in this video.

Not long after Omar’s birth in Syria, his parents realized something was wrong. Omar was much smaller than other children his age. The doctors gave his parents the bad news — Omar had a hormone deficiency that inhibited his growth. And the good news — there was effective medication.

All was well until the Syrian conflict forced Omar’s family to flee to Lebanon. Without having access to medication, Omar nearly stopped growing. At age eight, he looked more like four or five.

“I want to get treatment, so I can become tall, become a man and get married”

Without treatment, he would never grow up … he would not go through puberty … would never marry and be a father.

Luckily Omar and his family were resettled to Finland, where he is getting proper treatment.
See Omar make his final rounds before flying to Finland.

If you enjoyed reading Omar's story, please consider joining USA for UNHCR now. There are hundreds of other children and families, like Omar's who are waiting for your support. It’s time to change a life.

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