Chakeh Sadek

Chakeh never would have imagined that one day, she would be victim of her own home windows, or that she would be unsafe in the Port of Beirut neighborhood.

85-year old Chakeh was born in Medawwar – Beirut, she was married and had two children, a son and a daughter. She devoted her life to raise them to become good, god fearing human beings.

Chakeh was a very religious person, she was rarely seen without her rosary beads. In addition to her prayers, she was a humanitarian, and spent her life helping others through charity associations, and religious groups.

On August 4, Chakeh was home in Mar Mikhael with her Ethiopian helper. She spent the day with her son, and for some reason, she kept saying she saw blood, as if she knew what was coming. Her son left her in the early afternoon to his summer home in Anfeh.

After the first explosion, Chakeh looked through the window to see what happened, but the force of the second explosion broke the glass, causing multiple wounds in her body, and cutting her vein.

Her son did not know about the explosion until he arrived to Anfeh in North Lebanon. News reports were still inaccurate; first it was reported that the explosion was at Beit al Wassat, and even when it was confirmed the blast was at the Port of Beirut, it didn’t occur to him that it could have killed his mother.

When he called her home, after he tried her cell phone multiple times, he heard the helper screaming, and Chakeh agonizing. He immediately called his mother's driver, but the latter did not answer his phone; he was wounded by the blast, as well as his pregnant wife, and his mother.

Chakeh's son, who drove back to Beirut, was suddenly aware of the magnitude of the situation. He called many of his friends and acquaintances in the city, hoping someone could reach his mom who was fighting for her life, and save her. Many people responded to his plead, and her neighbors tried to evacuate her to Saint George Hospital – University Medical Center, but it was out of service due to the extreme damages it sustained following the explosion. When he arrived, Chakeh was already dead.