Syrian artist Haya Mereishli reveals she has been in psychological treatment for 12 years

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a televised interview, Syrian artist Haya Mereishli opened up about her private life, recounting how her parents — the late artist Randa Mereishli and fellow artist Tariq Mereishli — separated when she was five, a separation she described as leaving deep emotional marks. Mereishli said she did not see her mother again until she was 18, learning of her mother's cancer through social media. She reconnected with her after her grandmother, the artist Nahid Halabi, encouraged her to reach out. The two met in Damascus, then traveled together to Beirut, where her mother spent roughly three months receiving treatment before returning to Damascus in her final period. Mereishli said her mother's breast cancer had spread to her liver, and that even as her memory faded, her mother continued to remember her name. After her mother's death, she took on the responsibility of caring for her siblings, Jud and Sisi. She also disclosed that she has been receiving psychological treatment for more than 12 years. The artist additionally revealed that she married at 22 in Oman and Dubai in a four-year union that was never formally celebrated and ended without children.