Extraordinary bond: a Saint Johner's mission to save a Syrian friend

Leaning in and smiling together, ZoCaddellandNoorOglilook like anytwentysomethingfriendsposing for aselfie.

But the bondbetweenCaddell, 24, from Saint John, andOgli, 27, from Damascus, Syria, was anunlikely one,crossing international borders andhuge disparities in life circumstances.

They're hoping that bondwill be enough to transform the lives ofOgliand her family.

Fast friends

The young women met last May inzmir, a city of 2.8 million on Turkey's Aegean coast.Caddellwas volunteering in poor rural camps when the two became "fast friends," bonding over Arabic and English lessons,Caddellsaid.

"People are drawn toNoor," saidCaddell. "She takes people especially foreigners by surprise because she's so outspoken with a wicked, dark sense of humour."

Oglihad been a law student at Damascus University when the school was bombed in 2012.

"Some of my friends, they died," saidNoor, who learned English while attending American schools as a child. "I saw them fly up in the air." She suffered injuries in the bombing that have slowly robbed her of mobility.

"I got shock and I had a high fever," she said. "I didn't get any treatment or physical therapy, so my muscles are very weak."

Shenowuses a wheelchair,relyingon her aging mother to care for her.

Failed escape

Ogli'sfamily attempted three times to cross illegally into Greece to seek medical care. On one attempt, the boat sank. On another, they were caught and imprisoned without food.

She and her mother and brother have lived in Turkey since January 2016.

In Turkey,Oglihas no support for her disability.

"I can't walk," she said. "I can't study. I can't work. I don't have rights. Sometimes I feel sad and scared. My mother is old, and my brother is not strong. If anything happened to my mother, nobody would take care of me."

ButOgli"has the most phenomenal outlook on life,"Caddellsaid.

"She was credits away from finishing her degree, and that was taken from her. Her father and other two brothers remain trapped in Damascus. But she is a brilliant young woman, with this really fiery attitude about it all."

Chance for a new life

Caddell'sTurkish visa expired this week, meaning she hadtoleave the country and her friend.

ButCaddell,with assistance from her family, partners fromKennebecasisBaptist Church and the community, has raised $18,000 to privately sponsor theOglifamily's immigrationto Canada.

"Canada would mean a proper education and medical treatment for my friend," Caddell said.

Anadditional $10,000, at least, is needed to complete the sponsorship process.

"It's a tricky process, and there's a long road ahead of us, but hopefully she'll be in Canada within the year," saidCaddell. "She could focus on getting medical attention and getting back to school and living a normal life."

"I want to get my treatment, finish my education, and work. I want to be active in the community," saidOgli.

"I hope the people in Canada will help me."