A boy who was blinded by the Islamic State can see again
Date
5/4/2016 12:05:56 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Abdul Hafedh 14 survived the March 25 suicide bombing at a youth soccer game in Asriya Iraq that killed 43 people 29 of them boys younger than 17. He has mostly recovered his sight after receiving treatment at a hospital in Iran the boy and his father said. (The Washington Post / Ahmad Mousa Qasem)
By Mustafa Salim Liz Sly
BAGHDAD: A teenage boy blinded in March by a suicide bombing at a soccer tournament in Iraq has mostly recovered his sight after receiving treatment at a hospital in Iran the boy and his father said.
Speaking by telephone from his home in the village of Asriya Abdul-Hafidh Abd-Ali 14 said he can now see normally with his right eye. He can only see partially however with his left eye and he will need to return to Iran for more treatment soon.
"I went there blind and when I left I could see" he said describing his joy after returning from 16 days of treatment in Tehran. "When I arrived at the hospital I was scared because the doctors said they if they didn't operate quickly I would lose my sight forever. But the doctors comforted me and said it would be OK."
Abdul-Hafidh's father Saadi said doctors told him the eye had become infected and would have to heal before any further intervention. They gave him eye drops and told him to check in with local doctors every three days. In three months he is to return to the hospital in Tehran for laser treatment which the doctors say they believe will fully restore his sight.
Shrapnel wounds to the rest of Abdul-Hafidh's body mainly his arms have almost entirely healed and he can now move around normally the boy said.
Abdul-Hafidh was among the scores of victims of the March 25 suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State at a youth soccer tournament played on a dusty field in the village of Asriya about 40 miles south of Baghdad. At least 43 people died 29 of them boys under age 17 and over 100 were wounded most of them also children. The bomber himself was a boy believed to be no more than 15 according to witnesses who saw him and a photograph released by the Islamic State.
The Washington Post met Abdul-Hafidh last month shortly after the bombing. He was lying prostrate in his family's home his eyes closed covered in bandages and in too much pain to speak or move. Days later his family took him to Tehran for treatment after determining that doctors in Iraq lacked the expertise and facilities.
Now he said "My health is very good. All the wounds in my body are healed but the medicines I take make me sleep a lot. I can run and I could play soccer but the doctors told me not to play for three to four months because of my eye."
Like most of the boys who swarmed to attend the soccer game that day Abdul-Hafidh is a soccer fan a Barcelona supporter and he hopes soon to be able to play again for his local team.
But for now he is relishing the return of his health. He described the joy of waking up after surgery to discover he could see for the first time in more than a month.
"I was very happy" he said. "My father cried. But I didn't cry. I was laughing. I was able to see again."
The Washington Post