The story of a Palestinian man climbing the wall of a hospital to spend time with his dying mother has touched the hearts of millions across the world after their story was shared online by United Nations representative Mohamed Safa.
The son of a Palestinian woman who was infected with COVID-19 climbed up to her hospital room to sit and see his mother every night until she passed away. pic.twitter.com/31wCCNYPbs
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) July 18, 2020
Like most countries in the world, Palestine has been affected by both the ravage of the virus itself and by the lockdown measures that have been put in place to stop the spread of the virus. These safety procedures mean that many people can no longer enter hospitals to visit their relatives who may be sick or dying.
Jihad Al-Suwaiti, 30, himself was not able to officially visit his mother, Rasmi Suwaiti, 73, who was hospitalised with CoVid-19. He therefore decided to scale the outside wall of the hospital and perch on a window ledge outside her isolation room each night for five nights until she passed away. Rasmi had been suffering with leukemia for some time before she was diagnosed with CoVid-19 and the infection is particularly dangerous for those with underlying health conditions.
Both mother and son lived in the West Bank region of Hebron, which has suffered greatly from the Israeli blockade and ongoing political instability, which has led to a shortage of medical supplies and medical treatment. Al-Suwaiti spoke of his decision to climb the wall and how he took his mother to hospital when she developed flu-like symptoms. He explained in an interview with Arabic Post:
"She was always afraid and we warned her, but unfortunately she was infected with the virus. She began showing symptoms of a slight flu … but the symptoms began to gradually intensify, so I brought her to the hospital."
Mother and son were able to spend the last moments of her life together, she sadly succumbed to the infection on July 16th. Her other son worked as a nurse on the CoVid-19 wards where she was being treated.
Jihad also spoke out regarding CoVid-19, asking all Palestinians and people around the world to take the virus seriously. He says that he initially did not take the pandemic seriously enough and believed that it wasn't really a danger. He now thinks that this mind-set was unwise, and that people should not wait until it affects them personally before taking action.
This tragic but touching story is testament to a son's devotion to his mother and to the dangers we are all currently facing during the pandemic. Let's heed Jihad's advice and take extra-caution when we are outdoors, keep social-distance and wear a face-mask whenever in an enclosed space with other people.
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