Noor at the End of the Hallway…

I, Doctor Tuffaḥa al-Lamaḥa, along with Doctor Ariḍa al-Khafīfeh, headed to Augusta Victoria Hospital to visit the sick children there and spread joy and laughter among them. When we first walked in, we didn’t hear a single sound — the place was very quiet.  We walked down the hallway toward the first room we were visiting.  It was Noor’s room. Noor is a little girl suffering from paralysis.  She had just come out of surgery and was extremely tired — barely conscious. We spoke to her gently, but we could feel how much pain she was in. She couldn’t respond at all. So we decided to let Noor rest for a while. We continued our rounds in other rooms, playing and laughing with the children. But we returned to Noor — we could never forget her, especially knowing how much she needed a small dose of laughter to ease her pain, even a little. Noor’s mother told us that Noor had started waking up, but she still couldn’t move or lift herself.  She also told us that Noor loves a children’s song — a playful song that repeats her name and asks where she is, teasing her for sitting on the “sajloon” (a small stool). So we began singing her song very softly, gently…Little by little, Noor started trying to lift herself and move as if she were dancing.  I put a small rattle in her hand, and she started shaking it while we sang. We suddenly became a cute band — full of harmony, softness, and laughter.

We also sang another children’s song she loved — a sweet song comparing a little girl to a small bird being asked to say a word.

After a while, Noor was fully awake. She recognised us, interacted with us, laughed, and felt like she was a part of us.It was an accomplishment — that despite her exhaustion, Noor joined us in singing. Her eyes stayed fixed on us as if saying, “Please don’t leave.”

Despite her weakness, she tried to take part in every moment, to regain her energy and her light. Right then, we felt that at the end of the hospital’s long hallway… There was indeed a light. And truly, the light of hope returned to Noor — and she reminded us once again that a smile can create miracles, no matter how tired we are.