Abbas Mazloum

Abbas Mazloum, who was injured in Beirut’s port explosion, died on October 27, 2021, succumbing to the pain he endured every single day for the last 14 months.

Abbas was paralyzed following the blast, he was bedridden for months, confined to a narrow hospital room, before he was discharged to his bed in the small apartment he lived in. He could not move unassisted and always needed a helping hand.

In an interview a few weeks before his death, Abbas told the reporter he was breathing, yet he didn’t feel alive…

Abbas was born in Brital in the Bekaa, on February 10, 1977, to Ahmad and Zeinab Mazloum. He grew up with ten siblings in difficult economic conditions and dropped out of school to join the workforce at the young age of ten. He managed to land different jobs and worked as a mechanic, among other professions, until he finally decided to become a chef. Although he did not earn his degree in hospitality, he still worked hard to make his dream come true, and he was renowned for his culinary talent, and specialized in Italian cuisine.

Abbas worked in different restaurants, until he was finally employed as a chef in Tavolina Restaurant – Mar Mikhael in 2012.

He was a hard worker, and he dreamt of a bright future for his family. He wanted to own a house in his village and decided to start small businesses for his children, to ensure they would never need anyone else’s support. Unfortunately for him, the blast paralyzed him and crushed his dreams…

Abbas, the husband and the father of five felt the weight of the world drop on his shoulders. He was helpless, unemployed, and unable provide for his family… He was let down by the Lebanese ministries of health and social affairs, as he was not considered a victim of the blast, nor a person with disability who could benefit from medical and social services. Hospitals also delayed his treatment under different pretexts, including the deteriorating exchange rate.

Long agonizing months have passed, until a few humanitarian initiatives could individually raise the amounts necessary to cover Abbas’s medical treatment. He underwent a surgery in September 2021 to correct previous failed medical interventions…

Two days before his passing, Abbas suffered from a mild cold as he left his small apartment in Achrafieh to visit his children back in the village. He died from a heart attack on a Monday, leaving behind the sweet memory of a man who lived to bring joy to everyone around him, and a decent future for his children…

Abbas was happy he could evade death on the fourth of August. He recalled every detail in our previous interview, he remembered the fireworks, the fire, the black smoke, the first explosion, and the second one that destroyed everything around him. He described the scenery, the chaos, the blood, and the screaming. That day he walked to the hospital on his own feet for the last time…

Prior to his death, Abbas was going to produce a cooking show on Instagram, alas his dream will never come true.