64 year-old Suhad desperately needed surgery to give her hope of surviving her battle with colon cancer. But cancer surgery is expensive. Her West Bank family couldn’t afford medical insurance payments, and of course there is no NHS for them. They simply couldn’t pay for this surgery.

Suhad’s husband knew that the only chance of saving her life would be to ask St. Luke’s Hospital for help...

What is St Luke’s?

St. Luke’s Hospital is the only charitable hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus. Set up by Christians over 100 years ago, it aims to generously take care of local people’s health needs, whatever their financial situation. The standard of care at St Luke’s is very well-regarded.

Nablus is also home to a large Palestinian refugee camp, with many people in  need of help. Travel restrictions and checkpoints mean it’s crucial for residents and refugees to be able to access quality healthcare locally. St Luke’s is a lifeline for the thousands of patients seen at its outpatient clinic each year.

Could they help Suhad?

Suhad’s husband asked St. Luke’s if they could please help with her surgery. He knew that the hospital might be able to help through their exemption fund - a fund that Friends of the Holy Land contributes to thanks to your donations. This fund allows the hospital to treat local people, especially poor Christian families, who can’t afford the care they urgently need.

There was great news for Suhad. The staff at the hospital rallied round her family, offering them help from the exemption fund, and the surgeon also agreed to reduce his fee. The surgery went ahead, and after several days in the ICU, Suhad was able to be moved to a general care ward and eventually moved home.

Suhad returned just one week later to St. Luke’s - but this time it was to personally thank the staff there and express gratitude to the administration for helping her. Thanks to them, Suhad now has a new lease of life, cancer free!

We make a big difference together

40% of St Luke's patients are too poor to pay for medical insurance, and have very few options in their hour of need. So the support we send from Friends of the Holy Land makes a massive difference in helping people like Suhad access good quality medical care and life-saving surgery. Around a quarter of St. Luke’s staff are Christian and many would not be able to find work elsewhere. That means our funding has double the effect – healing Christians in need, and employing Christians where there are few other employment opportunities. We're making a big impact in Nablus together. Thank you!