Bahaa Natour

29-year-old Bahaa was struggling, like most Lebanese, to adapt to a normal life in a country stricken by crisis. On August 4, 2020, at 6:07 PM, he was still at work in Achrafieh when the explosion happened at the port of Beirut. He fell to the floor unconscious, and woke up shortly after, amidst a scene of blood, shattered glass, and damaged office spaces; the whole place turned into rubble.
He was shocked when he found out the severity of his injuries as he bled heavily on the ground. He didn’t know whether it was his eye, which was later stitched, of from the shards of glass that remained in his hands for more than three months.
Bahaa recalls the scene coming straight out of a horror movie: “I arrived at the hospital asking for help, and I saw injured people everywhere, and the smell of death emanating from every corner.”
Bahaa has not been able to overcome the events he experienced on that fateful evening. He still falls in the same state of feeling despite the fact that two years have gone by. He started seeing a psychotherapist to help him overcome the situation.
Additionally, he confirms that “despite the worsening economic situation, the Lebanese government has not taken the initiative to provide medical treatment services for the injured.”
However, despite his tragedy, Bahaa thanks God for being alive, and hopes to find new opportunities to help him go through life.
At the end, Bahaa urgently calls for justice and compensation, as he deeply believes that Lebanon shall forever be our destined home.