image source, SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY
Mohammed, 7, was the only member of his family to survive Monday’s devastating earthquake.
“The sight of this boy really touched my heart,” said Dr Ahmed al-Masi. “I don’t know why. But as soon as he looked at me I started to cry.”
For more than 30 hours after the great earthquake on Monday, February 6, Dr. Masi felt extremely tired.
He and one other doctor were treating scores of injured people who were taken to a hospital in Afrin. Syrian city in northwestern Syria controlled by the opposition
One of them was 7-year-old Mohammed, who had just been dug out from under the rubble of his crumbling home.
Rescuers found him lying next to his father’s dead body. which was crushed by the rubble of the building along with his mother and siblings
“The way the boy looked at us Makes me feel like he trusts us. He knows he is now in a safe place,” Dr Macy told the BBC via Zoom.
“But I also felt that he was very strong. It was as if he was suppressing the pain from his injury. What made a seven-year-old child so strong and so quick to recover?”
Dr Masi is a surgeon at Al-Shifa Hospital, which is supported by the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), a charity.
More than 200 patients were admitted to the hospital almost immediately after the quake, he said.
image source, SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY
Dr Macy treating hundreds of patients after the earthquake
The other surviving child taken by rescuers to the hospital for treatment was an 18-month-old boy.
Dr Macy examined his condition and confirmed that he was fine. But then he realized that the boy’s parents were not coming with him.
“Suddenly I saw his father running towards him, hugging him and sobbing,” he said.
“The boy’s father told me, This child was the only survivor in his family, the rest of the family lay dead in the hallway.”
Dr Macy said hospital staff were shocked at the scale of the disaster. with many waves of patients requesting treatment at the same time
“I never thought before that An earthquake would do this much damage. And there are so many patients like this.”
But it was sad that he must have always been so accustomed to such a big event.
In 2013, he was working in a field hospital. When a rocket containing a nerve agent like Sarin is mixed was fired upon several rebel-held suburbs of Damascus. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were injured.
“At that time, we were trained and prepared as doctors for such an event,” Dr Macy said.
“We can quickly sort things out ourselves. but in this situation We weren’t prepared to deal with it. and the situation is much worse.”
image source, Ahmed Al-Masri
Dr Macy said none of the experiences he had learned during the civil war had prepared him for this calamity.
After the Feb. 6 earthquake, he and his colleagues in the city of Afrin treated a patient who appeared to be slightly injured at first
“They have injuries that you don’t think are serious. But there are still people who need to be amputated,” he said. “Our hospital is not capable of dealing with a disaster of this scale.”
“The worst thing is to be a doctor in this situation. where you can’t save a patient’s life or ease some patients’ pain That’s the worst thing you can feel.”
as he healed the patient Dr Macy also has to deal with not knowing if his family is safe. due to power and internet outages
His parents and siblings were only a few hundred meters from the hospital. But his wife and children live across the border in Gaziantep. southern turkey which was close to the epicenter and was hit hard
“The worst feeling in a time like this is not knowing how well your family and loved ones are doing.”
“We look at patients with two eyes. One side is used to assess injuries. and the other side is used to see if the patient is a family member or not.”
image source, SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY
Although Mohammed survived But his future is uncertain.
Doctor Massie breathed a sigh of relief. When his brother rushed to the hospital to deliver the news to him that Everyone in his family is fine, and he also got a short rest at the hospital.
“When I had the opportunity to sleep at that time I just fell over,” he says. “There were moments when I needed someone. to lift me up so that I can continue to work.”
Dr. Macy then went home and had breakfast with his parents. And he hopes he can finally travel to see his wife and children in Gaziantep.
He said he also visited Mohammed the next day. and asked the 7-year-old child if he remembered him.
“Remember, you are the doctor who saved my life,” Mohammed replied.
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