Alexy Sarkis

Alexy, a young ambitious Lebanese man in his thirties, refused, like many other Lebanese youth, to leave his country despite all the horrors he has seen in the August 4 explosion aftermath.
On that fateful day, Alexi, who works as a tailor at his uncle’s factory, walked outside the atelier in Achrafieh to get soma air, but he was shocked by the sound of airplanes flying, followed by a huge explosion that looked like a hurricane. The force of the blast and the location of Achrafieh area overlooking the port, produced a devastating war-like scene that no one had ever seen before.

Alexy was thrown to the ground, bleeding, due to shards of glass hitting his body. He tried to help himself and went from one hospital to another, hoping someone would ease his pain. Late in the night, he arrived to Al-Mayyas Hospital in Bekaa. He underwent a delicate surgery on his hands, which had tendons torn as a result of the explosion, and he was treated for other minor injuries all over his body. Alexy stayed at the hospital for five days, and went back to a life he could not recognize; he began his physical therapy sessions that cost him around one million Lebanese pounds a week at the time. It was a serious financial burden that added to Alexy’s physical suffering.

Today, despite all that he had endured, Alexy still finds difficulties moving his right hand, preventing him from performing several tailor-related tasks.

Three years after the explosion, Alexy is still calling for the government to leave him alone, so that he and his fellow Lebanese youth can live a normal life with their families, without having to leave their country.