Book Review: Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian-My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph
Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian-My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph, by Yusra Mardini is the perfect book for high schoolers or adults looking for an uplifting story of how hard work and grit pay off. Yusra Mardini grew up in Syria in the midst of war. She grew up in a family of swimmers and all she wanted was to go to the Olympics. She’s on her way until war ruins her ability to train. She desperately wants to train for the Olympics. She and her older sister embark on a dangerous journey to try to gain asylum in Germany. This is the story of their journey and how they adapt to life once they are in Germany. The portrayal of their experiences was realistic and timely. Yusra’s courage and hope will inspire readers, along with her dedication to her sport and her desire to compete in the Olympics.
Partner Profile: No One Left Behind
Their Story is Our Story and No One Left Behind (NOLB) joined forces in 2025 to launch the StoryShield program.
We spoke with Matthew Marcellus, Director of Communications with NOLB, and asked what the partnership with TSOS has meant for his organization and their Afghan clients.
Context with Layma
Social media presents us with an endless scroll of headlines and ‘hot takes’. What’s often missing is context. What is the history that led up to an event? Whose interests are served by a certain policy? What effects is that policy having on people’s lives? Layma Murtaza produces and hosts the video series “Context with Layma”, featured on Their Story is Our Story’s social media channels. We spoke to her about the context of her own life, as an Afghan-American and a professional in humanitarian aid, that led her to use storytelling to illuminate the personal and political context behind the headlines.
De-skilling and the Mental Health Effects Among Refugee Physicians
Discussions of physician workforce policy tend to organize themselves around numbers. Shortage projections, residency slot allocations, and licensing timelines dominate the literature, and for understandable reasons. More than 83 million people in the United States currently live in areas without sufficient access to a primary care physician, and projections suggest the country could face a shortage of as many as 120,000 physicians by 2030.