Nancy Matar

Nancy, a lively young woman in her thirties, has always avoided political issues and related conflicts, and focused, instead, on her professional career and social life, she didn’t know that she would be one of the victims of the August 4 explosion in Beirut.

Nancy says she only cares about her family and career. She continues, “I don’t know what to say! I never thought I would experience something like this. It’s a terrible feeling, it is harsh, difficult, and unfair. There are mothers, fathers, siblings, and spouses, crying over the loss of their loved ones, a hundred times every day. Justice is yet to be achieved! August 4 was a nightmare that I relive every day. I can’t get the blast, the destruction, the blood, the screams, the pain, the scenery, off my mind!”

Nancy struggles daily with the memories of that horrible afternoon that destroyed the capital Beirut, namely Achrafieh area that was always bustling with life.
Nancy has a degree in Business Administration and worked at Audi Bank. On August 4, she was home in Achrafieh when the ammonium nitrate exploded in warehouse number 12 at the port of Beirut, injuring her and burying her under the rubble.

She recalls that she was preparing food at home when she heard an unusual sound outside, and as soon as she got out, the explosion happened, and the house was severely damaged. Nothing was in place, and Nancy had disappeared under the rubble where her uncle found her in a pool of her own blood. She was evacuated to Saint George Hospital in Ajaltoun, as she could not be admitted to the hospitals in Beirut. Following multiple medical tests and a thorough medical examination, the doctors found out that her left eye was severely damaged by shattered glass. Despite undergoing multiple surgeries, two years later her vision remains blurred, and she cannot stare for long periods of time.

Nancy hangs on to her faith as she accepts her pain with patience and wisdom. Scars are still visible on her face and body, as she will always be a witness to the horror of the explosion that she would never be able to forget or put behind.

Nancy is grateful to God for keeping her alive, and she continues to live despite the pain. She prays for justice to be served in the name of the Lebanese people, the explosion’s victims, and the families of those who lost their lives in the blast, and who are still lied to by merciless and cruel political sociopaths.