Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, the office of President Bashar al-Assad announced on Tuesday. The diagnosis follows a series of medical tests and examinations after she presented several symptoms.
In a statement, it was revealed that Asma al-Assad will adhere to a specialized treatment protocol that includes stringent infection prevention measures. As part of her treatment plan, she will temporarily withdraw from all direct engagements.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer of the bone marrow and blood. This is not the first health challenge for the first lady, who previously battled breast cancer. In August 2019, she announced that she was completely free of the disease a year after her diagnosis.
Born and raised in the United Kingdom to a family originally from central Syria, Asma al-Assad is a powerful and divisive figure in Syria. She is under Western sanctions and has been controversial throughout the 13-year Syrian conflict. Before marrying Bashar al-Assad in 2000, she was an investment banker. Since then, she has maintained a public role, promoting civil and charity groups, but has been accused of using her Western education and style to mask her husband's brutal crackdown on dissent.
The Syrian civil war began in March 2011 with peaceful protests against Assad’s regime. The government’s brutal response escalated the situation into a full-blown civil war, leading to the deaths of over half a million people and the displacement of half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. The conflict has seen the intervention of foreign armies and militant groups.
The announcement of Asma al-Assad's diagnosis coincides with the annual Damascene Rose Festival, organized by her influential NGO, the Syrian Trust for Development. Prior to her diagnosis, she was expected to attend the festivities celebrating the rose harvest season.
