Nawal Attieh

Nawal was the very meaning of love, affection, and happiness. She was a people person, always fun to be around.

She used to spend the spring and summer seasons with her older sister Amal at their rural home in Mehmarch in the Batroun district. In the cold winter days, they would stay at their brother's house in Beirut, or their sister's house in Mansouriye.

Nawal was never married, and had no children, but she showered her love upon her five nephews and nieces. They count on her with everything. She was a talented cook, and a passionate home organizer. "Nounou", as they called her, pampered them and kept their secrets and prayed for their well-being.

On Sunday August 2, the Lebanese Red Cross transported Nawal from her rural home to Saint George Hospital in Achrafieh. Her lab tests showed that she was suffering from a gastrointestinal bleeding. She underwent a critical surgical intervention that required her transfer to the intensive care unit. She was suffering from an irregular heartbeat; her condition improved, her oxygen levels saturated, and she regained consciousness.

At 5:00 PM, on August 4, she received a visit from her sister who then returned to her brother's home, leaving Nounou alone so she could sleep. At 6:07 PM, her family heard the explosion at her brother's, close to the hospital. They freaked out and called a friend who worked at the same hospital to check on her. No one could answer them amid the chaos caused by the blast…

Her niece went to the hospital and found her dead in her bed. According to the medical report, her tired heart stopped due the force of the explosion.

Nawal left without a goodbye, leaving a void that cannot be filled, specifically for her sister Amal who was closest to her.

Her family members ask themselves how she might have felt in her last moments before she died. They wish she was sleeping when it happened. They wish she did not hear the explosion that rocked Lebanon from south to North.

Nawal's body was transferred to Baabda Governmental Hospital, and from there to her village's church that she insisted to visit after her recovery. Her wish was fulfilled.