Muhammed's Story.

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.