Orphaned in the Turkey earthquake, a girl gets a new start in New Jersey

Rayen Bekri was at home in bed in Hatay, Turkey, when a massive earthquake sent the walls tumbling down around her.

“I was sleeping, and I felt shaking,” Rayen said, recalling the events of Feb. 6. “I wanted to run to my mother, but I heard my brother screaming. I ran to him and held his hand. As we reached the door, the building collapsed.”

Rayen, 13, and her brother, 10-year-old Zakaria, became trapped under the rubble of their apartment building. When a search-and-rescue team found Rayen six days later, she was terribly weak and injured. Her left leg had to be amputated. Zakaria did not survive, nor did her mother.

The earthquake’s aftermath was a frantic time for many families in North Jersey, who scrambled to find out if their loved ones had survived the 7.8-magnitute earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and collapsed or damaged more than 160,000 buildings.

In Saddle Brook, Rayen’s aunt, Rasha Kattan, tried to get through to her family for days. When she heard that Rayen had been found alive, she rushed to Turkey to be at her side during a months-long hospital stay and 10 surgeries.

On July 10, they arrived together in New Jersey, with help from the office of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who reached out to officials to expedite her admission as a refugee — a process that their family already had begun because they were Syrian war refugees.

“I’m grateful for all of you who helped us,” Kattan said at her home on Monday.

Rayen is now living with her aunt, her uncle Zakaria Rahmoun, and cousins Emar, Taim and Mohamad, ages 6, 13 and 15.

Her recovery is ongoing. Rayen needs plastic surgery on her leg and will be fitted for a prosthetic. She has a stubborn infection in her hand that needs treatment. She is still coping with the trauma of the losses she endured five months ago.

Her New Jersey relatives, who came to the U.S. from Syria in 2011, have started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her recovery, rehabilitation and adjustment to her new environment.

For the young teenager, it’s not the first encounter with tragedy. Her family is from Ashrafiyat, an area in Aleppo, a city hit hard by the war that broke out in 2011. Her father was killed when a mortar shell landed near him eight years ago. One year later, her mother was shot in the abdomen and taken by ambulance to Turkey.

The family remained in Turkey and applied to the United Nations refugee resettlement program. With the application still pending years later, Rayen’s two older brothers went to live with an uncle in Lebanon, arriving just one day before the earthquake — a journey that may have saved their lives. They got word, after the earthquake, that the family application for resettlement had been approved.

To her family, Rayen is a hero — her will to survive and the way she took care of her brother are remarkable feats.

In their Saddle Brook home, they surround the young girl with love. Rahmoun works in a local restaurant, and Kattan is a hairstylist. They have pledged to support Rayen however they can.

"All that matters to me is that she's safe in my hands and living a fulfilling life with me and me family," Kattan said. "We're here by her side no matter what."

Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah learned about Rayen's plight through his wife and connected the family with Booker’s office.

Booker told Rayen he was inspired and humbled by her story. “I can’t think of anyone stronger, more resilient and with more courage,” he said.

Her journey is an example of “how humanity transcends borders” and people can make a difference, said Khairullah, who has helped in refugee support efforts in New Jersey for years.

As she talked about the earthquake, Rayen’s tears streamed onto her Minnie Mouse T-shirt. But at moments she smiled and laughed, enjoying the company of her New Jersey family. She thanked her youngest cousin for being patient as her mother spent 5½ months with her in Turkey.

When she was trapped, Rayen said, she dreamed someone gave her chips and soda. Her mom came to her in a dream, she said, and told her she and Rayen's brother had to leave.

Now, she is trying to put the past behind her.

When she feels sad, she plays games with her cousin, especially enjoying the online game Roblox. Rayen looks forward to school and wants to be a pediatrician one day, just like the doctors who helped her regain her strength.

“I want to be the one helping people," she said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Orphaned in Turkey earthquake, a girl gets a new start in New Jersey