Cancer-stricken Syrian refugee's heartbreaking story goes viral
He lost his wife and daughter when a missile hit his house.
After that, he found out he had cancer.
In seven pictures, the tragic story of a Syrian refugee known simply as The Scientist was told to the world.
Earlier this month, popular Facebook page Humans of New York (HONY) had taken pictures of the man, uploading his story in seven parts on their Facebook page.
The Scientist, currently living in Turkey as a refugee with his son and daughter, told how his son had to carry pieces of his mother and sister out from the rubble of the family house, after a missile hit their home in Syria two years ago.
The attack had also killed his relatives who were living in the house next door.
"We survived but we’re dead psychologically. Everything ended for us that day. That was our destiny. That was our share in life," – The Scientist
He survived because he was in another part of Syria supervising a project.
He said that before the bombing, he had no health problems.
"I think the cancer came from my sadness and my stress. It’s in my stomach," he told HONY.
But now, his life looks like it's turning a corner.
After reading The Scientist's story, Hollywood actor Edward Norton started a crowd funding campaign to raise money for him.
Writing on the crowd funding page, Norton said that he was so moved by the story that he cried after reading it.
"This man has suffered profound loss that would crush the spirit of many people and yet he still passionately wants a chance to contribute positively to the world," he wrote.
In a separate Facebook post, HONY wrote about the Scientist: "His life had been so tragic, but throughout the entire interview, he kept returning to his desire to help mankind.
"He didn’t want to die before making a contribution to humanity,"
The Scientist claimed that one of his inventions is currently being use in the Turkey metro to generate electricity from the movement of the train.
The refugee is hoping he will be able to patent some of his ideas when he reaches the US.
"Let’s reject the 'anti-human’ voices that tell us to fear refugees and show this man and his family what Americans are really made of," said Norton.
Norton's plea for Americans to welcome the Scientist comes amidst outrage over remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that America should stop accepting Syrian refugees.
So far, Norton has raised more than US$436,000 (S$613,000) for the man who will soon be relocating to the city of Troy, Michican.
President Obama took time out to write a Facebook note welcoming the Scientist.
This is not the first time that a Syrian refugee's story has touched hearts all over world.
In September this year a picture of a smiling Syrian girl playing a simple game with a Danish policeman at the Danish-German border went viral.
Police assistant commissioner Knud Reinholdt said: “We have to deal with children who have experienced a lot of things and who have travelled far, so if we can make life a little easier for them, as in the pictures, then it’s worth it. It does not cost anything."
Source: Facebook, News.com.au
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