Hassan Al Kontar was raised in a prosperous Syrian home, the middle child of a mechanical engineer and nurse. He was working in the UAE when his work permit expired and civil war broke out in his home country. A conscientious objector by faith and temperament, he opted for a hand-to-mouth existence in the shadows until he was arrested and deported. Now a permanent resident of Canada based in Vancouver, he works as an emergency care worker for the Canadian Red Cross.