Last year I met Muhammed, he is 8 years old and a double amputee. He and
his family allowed me to speak to him about what happened to him on 2nd May
2012, the day he lost his legs. I filmed him as he talked to me...
"My uncle came to visit us to collect some things and take us to see
my grandparent's.
On the way to Grandfather's we stopped at my Dad's barber shop to give him
the house key and his phone charger. When we got there my Mum changed my
Grandfather's clothes and made Moshi and Mtawama for lunch, then my Uncle
started to give my Grand Uncle a shave.
My brother was sat in my Grand Mother's
lap and Mum told him to go check on granddad, when he came back the rocket
exploded. My Uncle was like a piece of burnt wood, my Grand Uncle was on his
back, my little brother was in pieces and burnt. I looked at my legs and they
were in pieces and they were awful, my Mother was bent over.
My Grandfather's friends came and carried me down stairs into a car, they
sent me to Zarzor hospital. In Hospital they gave me an injection and tried to
clean my body, then they sent me to an ambulance and I saw my cousin Drmia, her
nose and face were cut very bad, I said "Where are we?"
"I don't know, I don't know!" she said.
Then they sent me to Saqhor hospital to an operating room, they put a mask
over my nose, I was breathing and then I don't know what happened!
At the hospital they gave me some chocolate, I said I wanted to give it to
my little brother, they said he was dead.
After that I stayed at the hospital, the doctor who operated on me and the
staff were very nice to me. Thank Allah for them. After my operation I stayed
in hospital, I played with a lot children and people would visit me and make me
happy. One time they got me a mask and another time they got me a water pistol.
When I grow up I want to be a Doctor or an Engineer.
In Syria they should help the children and the men, all of them, because
Syria is destroyed, there is nothing to call Syria, just war, war, war, bomb,
rocket and barrel bomb.”
UPDATE: When I first met Muhammed he was part of a programme being run by a newly started charity MedChild International, unfortunately this charity is no longer functioning. At present I am working with Muhammed's family to see if we can find another charity to help him, we are waiting for a response to appeals I have sent out.
Because Muhammed is a growing boy his leg bones continue to grow and they are in danger of growing out of his stumps, he needs an operation to correct this and is likely to need more operations as he continues to grow. If we are unsuccesful in securing a charity to help with Muhammed's medical care I will start a fundraising campaign so we can get the operation done in Turkey where he is currently living.
