Saeed Cherfan

Saeed suffered from the explosion that hit Beirut like many others on that fateful day. He recalls the details of what happened in August 2020, saying “never again!”
Saeed, a physically disabled person whose disability was caused by a medical error, felt an earthquake had hit the area where he lived in Jal El Dib. He was severely injured and a medical doctor added to his tragedy by performing an additional medical error on his injured leg.

The Beirut explosion that was heard in Cyprus damaged Saeed’s home, and the wall of the living room fell all over him, as he comfortably slept on the couch, causing multiple injuries to his already frail body.

His daughter Maria tells what happened on that day: “it was horrible, we first thought we all died or we were about to die… My mother, siblings, and I took my father to the hospital. The doctor was late to show up and procedures were taking forever… We didn’t know the enormity of my dad’s condition until two weeks later when his leg was completely paralyzed… He also lost his teeth because of the many diseases he was suffering from.”

The burden of his treatment and disability was too big for his daughter Maria. Saeed used to sell handbags, and he would go fishing and sell the fish to provide for his family… After the explosion, he went from being his family’s breadwinner to becoming unemployed, and because of his disability, he couldn’t go fishing anymore.
His emotional state worsened day after day and everyone at home avoided him. They didn’t know when he would start screaming at them out of spite after all that had happened to him. His doctor prescribed a long-term medication to treat his mental condition, but it was too expensive for his family to afford; without his medication, Saeed suffers from hallucinations, and his daughter feels helpless as she cannot save him in a country that doesn’t provide a minimal life in dignity.

Maria assists an elderly woman for a small amount of money to provide some of her dad’s medications; 64-year-old Saeed has never needed antidepressants before the Beirut explosion.

Additionally, Saeed’s family lives in darkness as they cannot afford generator costs, and Saeed even faces difficulties to enter the bathroom; his life has become unbearable.