Just 11 months apart in age, brothers Mufaddal and Abdulghany Hamadeh have shared almost everything in their lives — including their love of the two countries they call home.
Just 11 months apart in age, brothers Mufaddal and Abdulghany Hamadeh have shared almost everything in their lives — including their love of the two countries they call home.
Born in Syria, the brothers moved to the United States as infants. They spent the first six years of their lives here while their father studied to get his master’s and doctorate degrees.
When they returned home to Syria and began their own studies, they were in the same class from first grade through medical school. While they were happy to be home, the oppressive regime was always a dark cloud over their lives.
Mufaddal and Abdulghany eventually moved back to the U.S. in 1983 and 1985, respectively. They live in the Chicago area and are esteemed physicians who continue to maintain their connection to their other home. Mufaddal serves on the board of the Syrian American Medical Society, and both brothers and their children make medical missions back to Syria to help those caught in the civil war.
In a special Borderless collaboration with StoryCorps, the 57-year-old brothers sat down for a conversation about their life in Syria and the U.S., which begins with Abdulghany asking Mufaddal about the happiest day of his life.
Special thanks to StoryCorps’ Justin Williams for his help with this interview.
