{"id":9919,"date":"2025-08-03T17:19:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T17:19:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/?p=9919"},"modified":"2025-08-12T16:15:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T16:15:28","slug":"pleading-for-treatment-the-little-princess-who-lost-her-hair-to-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/2025\/08\/03\/pleading-for-treatment-the-little-princess-who-lost-her-hair-to-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Pleading for Treatment: The Little Princess Who Lost Her Hair to War"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Malak Farhan – Gaza<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEid was just three days away. I was so excited to wear my new dress and decorate my long hair with bows, like a Disney princess. But the storm came early\u2014before the wheat could ripen\u2014and instead of tying my hair with ribbons, the bombing winds ripped the strands from my head.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12-year-old Hala Dalheez sits in a small tent on the outskirts of al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, her head wrapped in a white bandage. She stares at her new reflection in a cracked mirror, silently mourning the loss of her princess-like hair\u2014her crown stolen by war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was playing on a swing near her tent when an Israeli airstrike hit nearby. The explosion violently shook the ground, and in the chaos, her hair got caught in the metal swing structure, tearing away part of her scalp and leaving her unconscious from heavy bleeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard the explosion and ran out of the tent,\u201d recalls her father, Shukri Dalheez. \u201cChildren from the neighborhood were screaming for help. I only remember the image of Hala with her head bleeding and her hair tangled in the swing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hala shares: \u201cI woke up in the hospital surrounded by people. My head hurt badly. I reached to touch my hair, but it was gone. I panicked and kept asking, \u2018Where\u2019s my hair?!\u2019 No one would answer until my cousin told me it got stuck in the swing and had to be cut to save me. I couldn\u2019t stop crying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infection and Lost Hope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the first three days after her injury, doctors attempted to stitch her torn scalp back together. But severe infections and painful sores soon set in, forcing them to shave what remained of her hair to treat the wound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer scalp became inflamed and infected,\u201d her father explains. \u201cDoctors had no choice but to remove the rest of her hair to clean and treat the area. She refused at first, but I had to convince her. It broke me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite obtaining a medical referral for treatment abroad, Hala\u2019s situation remains unchanged. Borders are sealed, medical evacuations are halted, and her condition worsens with each passing day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isolation and Emotional Collapse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since being discharged from the hospital, Hala avoids going outside or interacting with others. \u201cEveryone who sees me asks what happened to my hair,\u201d she says, fighting back tears. \u201cThey ask once, then again, and again. I try to cover my head with a cap, then a hoodie\u2014but it doesn\u2019t help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds: \u201cI tried to accept it, but whenever my white bandage shows, I see fear in the other children\u2019s eyes. Some are cruel and mock me, even though they\u2019ve seen my injury before. My heart breaks, and I run back into the tent to cry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though she knows it wasn\u2019t her fault, Hala believes losing her hair meant losing her beauty. Trapped in the cycle of shame and sadness, she remains isolated, hiding in her tent and avoiding the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Beautiful Memories to Harsh Reality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gathering herself between sobs, Hala recalls happier days\u2014standing in front of the mirror, styling her long hair before school. \u201cThere\u2019s no school now,\u201d she says quietly. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t have my beautiful hair anymore\u2026 My life has turned completely dark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She remembers going out to play or walk with her friends, escaping the heat, insects, and boredom of the tent. \u201cBut now, I\u2019ve lost all of that\u2014because I lost my hair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a heartbreaking moment, Hala pulls off her bandage, revealing a severely scarred and nearly bald scalp. The sight is too painful to bear. The interview stops there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her father later adds: \u201cShe kept the strands of hair they cut in the hospital. She looks at them every day and cries. It hurts her deeply when she sees her mother brushing her sister\u2019s hair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Body Image Trauma<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Psychologist Dr. Mai Atiya explains that Hala\u2019s symptoms\u2014withdrawal, isolation, and emotional breakdowns\u2014are signs of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) caused by trauma and sudden changes to body image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese cases are incredibly complex,\u201d Dr. Atiya says. \u201cVictims may reject themselves, and without access to proper treatment, this can lead to severe depression or even suicidal thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stresses the importance of support from Hala\u2019s family and community, shielding her from verbal abuse or body-shaming. Even looks of pity or disgust can deepen her emotional wounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTreatment must be both physical and psychological,\u201d Dr. Atiya adds. \u201cOnly then can she develop coping mechanisms, defend herself from harm, and slowly regain her confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting Seeds of Hope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite her suffering, Hala imagines a hopeful future where she receives treatment and hair restoration. Her eyes brighten: \u201cI\u2019ll be so happy. I\u2019ll play with my friends again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She continues, \u201cI only want to go abroad for treatment and get my hair back. That\u2019s my right as a child. I didn\u2019t choose this war. I want to look like myself again and meet people without feeling ashamed. My father tries, but no one helps us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked what she\u2019ll do first after recovering, she answers with a weak smile: \u201cI\u2019ll wear the bows I bought\u2026 and my Eid dress. I\u2019ll visit my friends and play with them\u2014just like before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malak Farhan – Gaza \u201cEid was just three days away. I was so excited to wear my new dress and decorate my long hair with bows, like a Disney princess. But the storm came early\u2014before the wheat could ripen\u2014and instead of tying my hair with ribbons, the bombing winds ripped the strands from my head.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[157,445,57,680,95,1068,56,1018,1063,1067,1066,1062],"class_list":{"0":"post-9919","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-facts-in-english","8":"tag-children","9":"tag-famine","10":"tag-gaza","11":"tag-gaza-children","12":"tag-genocide","13":"tag-hair","14":"tag-kashif","15":"tag-man-made-famine","16":"tag-physical-trauma","17":"tag-physiological-trauma","18":"tag-trama","19":"tag-trauma"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9919"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9921,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9919\/revisions\/9921"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashif.ps\/en\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}