A Tribute to Mohammed El-Ewady

When I agreed to help the American medical team in Gaza, I expected to be able to assist in many ways--transportation, communication, and other forms of logistical support. What I did not realize was how powerful and life-changing this experience would become. I write this today as I feel obligated to honor a special boy of whom I learned.

As an Arabic-speaker, my skills as a translator were in constant need. Almost by default, this allowed me get to know the patients and people particularly well, especially children we visited at an orphanage. Our medical team developed a special relationship with the Hope Institute for Orphans, who had requested our help. We made multiple visits and learned the children that resided there were lacking basic routine medical care. They needed everything from toothpaste to cardiac evaluations for irregular heartbeats.

Dr. Kanwal Chaudhry, a Pediatrician on our team identified physical manifestations of severe emotional distress in many of the boys. This exhibited itself as bed-wetting, uncontrolled bowel movements, and war-related nightmares. These symptoms were widespread, but not something easily appreciated. Hanging out--the kids generally preferred to clown around--run, yell, and make faces like most kids do.

After a couple of days, we began to develop a special trust and friendship with the boys as well as the staff. This led to the overwhelmed in-house counselor, El-Farra, to plead for our assistance in treating the boys' psychological trauma. Many had been orphaned as a result of the ongoing air strikes and conflict in Gaza. Our team lacked psychiatrists, but we were able to arrange for 2 clinical psychologists from Gift of the Givers, a South African NGO, to visit the afflicted kids. I returned with them, not only to help translate, but also to help the boys feel comfortable in the therapy sessions.

Mohammed El-Ewady, 17, was a shy polite orphan and the star pupil of the Institute who aspired to become a lawyer. He was loved by all and a role model to the younger kids. On the morning of December 27, 2008, Mohammed grabbed his pencil and ruler and headed out for his first final during exam week. After finishing the exam around 11:00 a.m., Mohammed left the school and began his walk back to the orphanage. Unfortunately for Mohammed, his path home took him past the local police station at the exact time air strikes had begun. Mohammed never made it home - he was struck in the head by a piece of shrapnel from an air strike. After spending seven hours searching for Mohammed, the head of the orphanage finally located him three blocks away, unconscious in the ICU of Al-Shifa Hospital. After spending 3 days in a coma, Mohammed passed away.

Mohammed's death was extremely traumatic for the orphans, many of whom were already victims of war--they had looked up to him as a beacon of strength and hope. Most also lost any feeling of the sense of security that they had regained after being relocated to the orphanage. The reality of the war set in for them--they felt that there was no safe place for them in Gaza.

Mohammed's death was particularly devastating for his younger brother Ahmed, 14. Ahmed took us to Mohammed's room, which had remained untouched since his death and showed us the only thing he had with him when he became a victim of war, his pencil and ruler. Although he was polite and excited to meet us, the counselor at the orphanage and his eyes told us that he was having a difficult time getting over the loss of his brother. Despite grief counseling, he suffers from nightmares.

I would like to pay a special tribute to Mohammed--as I remember looking at his exam schedule, still hanging on the side of his dresser in his quiet and empty room, showing the break between his tests on the 27th of December that still marks his ultimate fate.

Ahmed Kasem with Dr. Omar Qureshi. Kasem is a California-based attorney, who is providing logistical support to the IMANA team. Qureshi is a Radiologist in New York, assisting the team remotely from the United States.

Another Day in Gaza

Walking down the halls of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the American team was flagged down by a man desperately requesting help for his wife. Rana Khalil had suffered shrapnel wounds to her left lower extremity, which tore off the flesh from her heel to the midfoot. She also broke a part of bone off from the heel. A patient in Al-Shifa for 27 days, Khalil had no treatment plan for her wounds other than bandage and dressing changes. Dr. Ismail Mehr surveyed her x-rays, and consulted with vascular surgeon Dr. Shariq Sayeed, as well as Dr. Irfan Galaria. Galaria, a Salt Lake City-based plastic surgeon believed he could use a skin graft to successfully heal the foot. The fact, however is that Al-Shifa does not have the ability to maintain the graft after the procedure and it would be unlikely to succeed. Additionally, there is no opportunity to perform a bone graft to repair her heel. Her likely fate is a below-the-knee amputation by Dr. Sayeed.


As Internventional Radiologists Dr. Labib Syed and Dr. Imran Qureshi made rounds at the Al-Shifa dialysis center, they ran across Nafiz. Nafiz complained of of fluid building up in the abdomen--a condition known as ascites. The cause for his ascites is unknown as the doctors at Al-Shifa lack the proper resources and technology to make the diagnosis. The two physicians decide that he will most likely need a catheter to drain the fluid in his belly, and possibly a shunt in his liver.

Dr. Rick Colwell and Dr. Kanwal Chaudhry returned to the Institute of Hope for the Orphans to perform about 150 well-child exams. Basic doctor visits, that many of these kids have never had. What they discovered was that most children suffered from eczema, a condition related to dry skin, and poor dental hygiene; while many also suffered from poor nutrition and vitamin deficiencies. The team plans to purchase and donate whatever supplies they can find locally in the form of toothpaste, multivitamins, lotion, and hydrocortizone cream. The doctors also diagnosed a hernia, 3 hearrt murmurs, and several children suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The IMANA team has arranged for the children with psychological disorders to be seen by 2 clinical psychologists who are a part of a large South African medical contingent, for further treatment.