Mother and Daughter: "Yes...Charity begins at home!"
In post-war England, between 1946 and 1949, Zahira was in London, with her husband Dr. Abdel Monem Abul Fadl who was on a formal mission from the Egyptian Government at the time to work on a postgraduate degree. Dr. Zahira sacrificed an up and coming position in Cairo to accompany her husband. At the same time, she took the opportunity to attend courses in preparation for an upcoming exam qualifying her for membership of the Royal College of Physicians. ( MRCP.) - At the time, this was a very ambitious and enterprising endeavor, few medical doctors would brave, let alone young women doctors. Evidently, however, her passion and care for children went beyond medical school to caring for the family she had just started. Here she is taking her first born for a stroll in the neighborhood, after a long day of classes... The time was post-war London, an era of rations and struggle, and the square crossed is not far from Wandsworth Bridge Road in the South of London. I am now aware that shortly before her exams, as if to add to her cares, little Mona was struck with the whooping cough... The above picture reflects this period... where Mona must have been in recovery... Mother was meticulously insistent on the daily dose of fresh air... no matter how long a day she may have had... and regardless of the work that needed to be done... priorities for Zahira could not be confounded!
P.S. A strip of treasured moments from that 'private life folder' will soon be posted on our site, possibly as a PPT.Show ... So, look out for it. (December 2006)
