My name is Sami, and this is my story as a Palestinian closeted doctor who is trying to build a safe future. 

When I moved abroad for medical school, I tried to live “under a rock,” as I always describe it. I isolated myself emotionally from everything happening back home because the reality of what was happening to my people and my country was simply too heartbreaking to carry every single day while trying to survive medical school. I became horse-blinders focused: study, exams, hospitals, sleep, repeat. 

I graduated and came back to Palestine, where reality hit me hard. 

The number of unemployed doctors here is terrifying. I accepted an unpaid hospital position because saying no felt impossible in a collapsing situation where thousands of graduates are competing for survival and experience. Every day I work exhausting hours while trying to pretend everything is okay. 

At home, things also became unbearable. 

As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, I have never truly been able to exist freely around my family. I learned to survive through tiny pieces of self-expression: a haircut I liked, a poster on the wall, certain clothes, certain music. But even those small things became sources of tension and fear. 

Over time, arguments became pressure, pressure became threats, and eventually things turned physically and emotionally unsafe for me. 

I reached a point where I no longer felt safe living at home. 

I moved into a tiny apartment in Ramallah by myself with almost no money. The place is humid, damaged, and barely fits a normal life. Sometimes I look around and laugh because it is objectively miserable and yet I still try to make it beautiful. I clean it carefully. I decorate it. I try to give it warmth and good energy because, ironically, it is the only place where I can breathe and feel safe being myself. Even during nights where missiles flew over our heads, that little apartment still felt safer than living a life where I had to erase myself every day. 

I do not like writing endless sob stories. I like to keep moving forward. My dream is to move to Germany, continue my medical residency there, and finally live openly and freely. I want to specialize, grow, and eventually dedicate part of my life to helping vulnerable people — especially young Palestinians facing violence, rejection, unsafe homes, and emotional isolation. I know what it feels like to desperately need safety. 

Today, I am asking for help to cover German language courses, exams, translation fees, and the first steps toward rebuilding my life. *My fundraising goal is €5,000*, which would help with German language courses, medical exam fees, certified document translations, and the first essential steps toward continuing my medical training in Germany. 

*German courses*: €2,500

*Exam fees*: €1,000

*Document translations & certification*: €500

*Transportation / application costs*: €500

*Emergency reserve*: €500

Asking for help can be hard. But I have learned that everyone needs help sometimes, and it is okay to ask for it. 

If you choose to donate or even share my story, thank you. Truly.