The discovery of the disease
Hala’s passion and talent are measured with colors, canvases and fabrics. She studied at the Institute of Painting, in Syria, and currently teaches at the Golden Thread Center.
She is an artist and she is also one of the cancer patients that Semi di Speranza has accompanied on that very difficult journey that is the treatment path to face a tumor. Hala is 58 years old, a little over two years ago she was diagnosed with cancer. When she started to undergo the necessary treatments she realized how expensive they were : the Syrian health system is unable to cover them and patients have to face the medical expenses with their own economic resources which are often limited: “I looked for someone who could help me”.
That photo of two of you without hair
One person, in particular, has always been by Hala’s side: “My husband Abdul has been my strongest supporter. When I lost my hair, I cried for a long time, and then he also shaved his head completely to be like me.” 
In the photo Abdul took at that moment, the two appear smiling and united. The man recalls: “The period of my wife’s illness was hard and difficult, we were under both psychological and financial pressure. But the presence of beautiful and supportive people had a good impact on Hala, allowing her to overcome the disease.”
The support of Seeds of Hope
The team from Seeds of Hope , which had been recommended to her by Samira, director of the Golden Thread Center, also helped Hala. 
She was the one who understood that the woman is “capable of creating beautiful works of art, especially with the collage technique” . When she discovered that she was suffering from cancer, she never abandoned her and suggested that she turn to Semi di Speranza for medical support. The project, in fact, includes, among other things, social and health care assistance to cancer patients. Hala has recovered and continues to teach the collage technique in Syria, her great passion. One of her works stands out on the wall of the Institute where she works: it is a wonderful tree made with recycled newspaper, under the tree there is a woman standing wearing a very colorful dress and there is – above all – the explosion of spring.
