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Gaza war mother tells how she and her 'miracle baby' survived against the odds


December 28, 2009 - When Eyad al-Radea reaches his first birthday on 10 January, it will be a day for his family to give thanks not just for his health and happiness but for the fact that his mother, against all odds, is there to join in the celebrations. For Eyad, with his mop of curly hair and ability to crawl and climb with alarming speed, is something of a ­ miracle baby for Gaza: the date of his birth was very nearly the date of his death and that of his mother. In her room in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, Wafa al-Radea eases herself down to tell her story. This in itself is a challenge; with only one leg, and scar tissue from burns, any movement is painful...

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Gaza war mother tells how she and her 'miracle baby' survived against the odds

Harriet Sherwood

At the aniversary of the three-week Israeli war, a Beit Lahia resident describes how, revived from a coma, she met her new son delivered by caesarean after she was almost left for dead

December 28, 2009

Wafa Al-Radia tells how she and her sister were attacked by an Israeli drone last year during the Gaza conflict Link to this video

When Eyad al-Radea reaches his first birthday on 10 January, it will be a day for his family to give thanks not just for his health and happiness but for the fact that his mother, against all odds, is there to join in the celebrations.

For Eyad, with his mop of curly hair and ability to crawl and climb with alarming speed, is something of a ­ miracle baby for Gaza: the date of his birth was very nearly the date of his death and that of his mother.

In her room in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, Wafa al-Radea eases herself down to tell her story. This in itself is a challenge; with only one leg, and scar tissue from burns, any movement is painful.

On the day of Eyad's birth, 14 days into Operation Cast Lead, Wafa, 37, was preparing food for her husband, four sons and two daughters. Her baby was due any day and she feared the pains would soon start. She decided to take advantage of a short break in the attacks, declared by the Israelis, and her family tried calling for an ambulance. They could not find one, so Wafa and her sister Ghada set out to reach a doctor. They hadn't got far when she told Ghada she wanted to turn back.

"There were so many planes in the air, the sound of the drones was so strong. Suddenly the drone was straight above us, and then it attacked."

Both sisters were hit. Some of the account Wafa gives was told to her later by her siblings. "I was behind my sister, but I flew into the air and landed in front of her. People came to try to help, then another rocket came. When I woke up, I was naked, all my clothes were burned. I looked at my legs and this one [she gestures to her right stump] was gone. I said to the people 'cover me'."

She lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived after 15 minutes. "They decided I was dead, but they took me to hospital to get the baby out."

The nearest hospital also believed Wafa was dead, but as it had no facilities for newborns she was transferred to the Shifa, the main hospital serving Gaza City. There, the doctors carried out a caesarean and during that operation realised Wafa was alive.

She was transferred to Egypt, accompanied by a brother who later told her that Egyptian authorities tried to refuse permission for the ambulance to cross the border, saying she was a hopeless case. After a 12-hour journey, during which she was resuscitated, Wafa reached the Zaytoun hospital in Cairo.

Back in Gaza, Wafa's husband took the newborn baby home to be cared for by his eldest daughter, Dina, 18.

Wafa emerged from the coma after two weeks. "My brother told me I was in Egypt. I asked him how my family was – I thought they were all killed. But he said they are all OK, going through their names one by one, and then said Eyad is okay and says hello.

"I told him I have no child called Eyad, and he said no, you have a baby. I couldn't believe it – and I couldn't believe I was alive."

After six months, during which she had "many operations" and almost lost her left leg, Wafa returned to Gaza and to the son she had never met. "Eyad didn't recognise me as a mother, he was always asking for his sister; he thought she was his mother. This made me sad."

Even now, though the bond between her and Eyad is established, Wafa feels she is an inadequate mother. "He's not close to me as normal. I'm not able to go to the market to buy clothes for him, prepare food for him, wash him. My eldest daughter and husband are doing everything for him, not me. When I see him crying, I can't do anything, it takes a long time for me to reach him."

Eyad was one of about 3,500 babies born during the war, many without medical help, the mothers being unable to get to hospital, according to Medical Aid for Palestinians. Many women who did get to a hospital during labour were then discharged within 30 minutes of delivery to free beds for the wounded.

Almost one year on, asked what she would most like to give Eyad for his birthday, Wafa pauses for a long time before answering: "I dream to be able to hold him as a normal mother."



:: Article nr. 61538 sent on 28-dec-2009 20:28 ECT

www.uruknet.info?p=61538

Link: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/28/gaza-mother-miracle-baby-war



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