Ismail is wheezing and breathless before he can finish explaining his chronic condition. He’s asthmatic, and today he sits on a hospital bed in the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Dura, a town southwest of Hebron.
The 46-year-old works with construction and heavy machinery, and even wearing a face mask doesn’t guard him from constant asthma attacks. He’s always ready to fight an attack with the inhaler he keeps in his pocket, but the inhaler can only do so much to ease his pain. Each day after work, he rushes home to use a nebulizer to bring his breathing back to normal.
Ismail's inhaler can only do so much to ease his pain. Every day after work, he rushes home to use a nebulizer to bring his breathing back to normal.
Ismail’s doctor at the Red Crescent Society, Dr. Ali Ghrayeb, prescribes him Albuterol Sulfate. Because his asthma is severe, Ismail requires about three bottles of Albuterol per month — and sometimes even more when his condition worsens because of spring allergies and bad weather.
Donated Medicine Offers a Better Alternative
As part of the in-kind program, Anera distributed Direct Relief’s donation of 500 Albuterol packs among seven clinics in the West Bank, including the Red Crescent Society in Dura. Now Ismail doesn’t have to worry about setting money aside for his illness. He also found Albuterol to be a more effective medication for his condition.
Before the Albuterol donation, Ismail had to combine two different medicines to use his nebulizer. The combination caused him heart palpitations and tremors, and was also time consuming because he had to measure and mix the two components in order to use the device.
"It’s so much easier to use that sometimes my youngest daughter prepares my nebulizer for me when I’m on my way home,” said Ismail. “We call her our little family doctor because she has become so good at it."
“It’s so much easier to use that sometimes my youngest daughter prepares my nebulizer for me when I’m on my way home,” said Ismail. “We call her our little family doctor because she has become so good at it.”
According to Dr. Ghrayeb, the donated medicine is particularly helpful for asthma patients who also have a heart condition, because it doesn’t cause side effects like heart palpitations. Patients like Ismail are able to dodge side effects and save time with this top-of-the-line medical donation.
Now, Ismail can breathe a little easier.
