INSPIRATIONAL:
SOUTH AFRICAN Surgeons SAVE MUHAMMED TAMIMI, Palestinian teenager…after he was shot in the Head and Face at close range with a rubber-coated, metal bullet
*15 year old Palestinian boy cries ‘I want to be able to go outside. I am not allowed to stay in the sun too much. And I want to be able to run with my friends’
*Bullet pierced his nose and lodged in his brain
*A large part of his skull had to be removed, causing his left eye to sink
* ‘Every help Tamimi received is a proud example of South Africans who give real expression to Madiba’s spirit of sacrifice and caring for one’s fellow man especially the most vulnerable amongst us’-Mandla, grandson of Nelson Mandela
BY RACHAEL OLIVER OSADOLOR/South African Correspondent
HOPE RISES FOR A 15 YEAR OLD PALESTINIAN BOY, MUHAMMED TAMIMI who was shot in the head and face at close range with a rubber-coated, metal bullet by the Isreali Army, as South African surgeons puts up a brave medical fight as they jointly performed reconstructive surgery on the Palestinian teen.
The bullet went through Tamimi’s nose and lodged in his brain. A large part of his skull had to be removed, causing his left eye to sink. As a result, he was unable to move his eye in all directions, and couldn’t open his mouth fully. Israeli authorities claimed the teen sustained the injuries by falling off his bicycle. South African doctors are now working on bringing some sunshine back into Tamimi’s life.
Headed by award-winning South African surgeon, Ridwaan Mia, the team performed a five and a half hour operation on Tamimi in Johannesburg recently – reconstructing a large part of his eye and mouth area.
Mia says the procedure went well, and he is happy with the progress that Tamimi is making. The surgeon – who is best known for his ground-breaking work on young burn victim, Pippie Kruger – is confident that Tamimi will regain full use of his left eye. Durban-based NGO, Shamsaan, decided to assist Tamimi after seeing his post on Facebook, asking for help to have reconstructive surgery. Tamimi received a special visitor. Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, commended all those involved in Tamimi’s operation. “They are proud examples of South Africans who give real expression to Madiba's spirit of sacrifice and caring for one's fellow man especially the most vulnerable amongst us,” he said. Tamimi was in high spirits during Mandela’s visit and told him how excited he was to see his grandfather’s statues in Ramallah and Johannesburg. Once he has recovered fully, Mandla Mandela promised to take Tamimi to see Madiba's statue at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Footage of Muhammed Tamimi’s cousin, Ahed Tamimi, responding to his brutal shooting by slapping an armed soldier who entered the family’s village – went viral in few months ago. Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, visiting Muhammed Tamimi in hospital, soon after South African surgeons performed reconstructive surgery on the Palestinian teen. In his response, Tamimi said: “I want to be able to go outside. I am not allowed to stay in the sun too much. And I want to be able to run with my friends.”
These simple pleasures are what this Palestinian teenager, Tamimi, longs for, after he was shot in the head at close range with a rubber-coated, metal bullet by Israeli soldiers during a nightly raid on the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in December last year.
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