Syria’s first lady, Asma Assad, has been diagnosed with leukemia, the Syrian presidency announced on Tuesday, nearly five years after she declared she had fully recovered from breast cancer.
The statement revealed that Asma, 48, would undergo a special treatment protocol requiring her to isolate, resulting in her stepping away from public engagements.
In August 2019, Asma announced her full recovery from breast cancer, which had been detected early.
Since Syria plunged into war in 2011, the British-born former investment banker has publicly led charity efforts and met with families of fallen soldiers, though she is reviled by the opposition.
She oversees the Syria Trust for Development, a major NGO that coordinates many of the country’s aid and development projects.
Last year, Asma accompanied her husband, President Bashar Assad, on a visit to the United Arab Emirates. This marked her first known official trip abroad with him since 2011.
During the trip, she met Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Emirati president’s mother, in a visit seen as a public signal of her increasing involvement in public affairs.
