“I had a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival"
Mohamad is one of thousands of Syrian bombing victims. Paralysed from the waist down after an explosion in 2012, he has learned to live again, with help from Humanity & Inclusion (HI).
Mohamad is 29. He has been injured during a bombing and now lives in a wheelchair in Irbid, Jordan. | © S.Khlaifat / HI
Mohamad was returning home after work down a crowded street when an explosion suddenly ripped through the air.
"I woke up four or five hours later in a field hospital. The first words I heard from the doctors were: ‘He has a one-in-a-hundred chance of survival’.
I had surgery, thank God. I lay on my back for six months before I came to Jordan for essential medical care.
My hip broke as I was being treated and I developed pelvic calcification. My health was very bad at the time. I was very depressed as well.
I’ve had rehabilitation care and I was given a medical device, a bed, a wheelchair, a walking frame, casts, and a special chair for the bathroom. They’re a big help. But it’s hard to find yourself in a wheelchair overnight. I had problems accepting my new condition. But I've come to terms with it now.
Life was different before my injury. It was great. I worked in the stone-dressing business. I used to go out with my friends. I enjoyed swimming. I also liked riding my motorbike.
I felt I had to work hard to overcome my handicap. I followed a training course in crafts - assembling accessories, creating perfumes, and making candles - and then became a trainer myself. We recently organised an exhibition at the Arabela shopping centre in Irbid. We also visited several bazaars. It was a great experience."
