BILLINGS — Malak Al Radee is just three years old, but at such a young age she has a big back story and a long road ahead.
Malak was born in Jordan while her family was living in a refugee camp after leaving Syria.
“We discovered three months after her birth that she suffers from a disease in the intestines,” her father, Raed Al Radee, said. (Al Radee speaks Arabic, and his interview with MTN News was conducted using Google Translate.)
Malak was diagnosed with involuntary fecal incontinence, or the inability to control her bowels, and the Al Radees were told there was no treatment available for her in Jordan. So, they obtained the necessary refugee documentation and were resettled in Montana with the goal of getting Malak seen by a doctor to help her.
“This disease has very serious psychological symptoms when you grow up,” Al Radee said. "One of these symptoms is suicide.”
Al Radee understands what his daughter is dealing with because he also has the same condition.
“You will be an outcast from society and friends," Al Radee said.
Because of his age, he cannot receive treatment, but there is still hope for his daughter.
The Al Radees have been in the U.S. for five months, hoping to find help for Malak, but after visiting with doctors at a local hospital they were told no treatment options were available in the state.
“Malak has no cure in Montana,” he said. “If another state was chosen before resettlement, with advanced medical resources, more specialized in the case of Malak, we wouldn’t be in this problem now.”
Now, the family is asking for help to relocate to another state, either Colorado or California, where Malak can get the help she urgently needs. They have created a GoFundMe to gather money that will help them secure a place to stay and pay for Malak's medical bills.
“We launched a $25,000 donation campaign,” Al Radee said. “Something that helps us treat Malak, so she can live normally.”
