Bay Area doctor helps 15-year-old Gazan amputee get medical treatment to learn to walk again
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- On Saturday, a young teenager from Gaza met with supporters who helped to bring him to the U.S. for medical treatment. A South Bay doctor also played a role in bringing him here, following a chance encounter back in February.
Warning: this story contains graphic details of war.
Ahmed Abu Obayda is 15 years old. He lost both his legs when he was struck by a missile launched from an Israeli drone in February, while he was out picking vegetables near his home in the town of Khan Yunis in Gaza.
Ahmed explains that he was hit in the legs, hand and face. His mother shared video of their house that was destroyed.
Ahmed knows he is lucky. Not to just be alive, but to also be among the lucky few cleared by the Israeli authorities to seek medical treatment abroad.
"I was excited when I found out I was selected to come the U.S.," Ahmed said through an Arabic translator.
On Saturday, the teenager met with supporters in Oakland, who followed his journey through his treatments. With the help of the organization Heal Palestine and Shriners Hospital, Ahmed and his mom arrived at San Francisco International Airport in July.
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Since then, his rehabilitation is progressing well. But it has been months of grueling treatments, including strength training for his upper body, physical therapy for his left hand, and learning how to balance and walk again. His treatments will go until May of next year.
"Ahmed came to me on the verge of death. He was hemorrhaging. Mangled lower extremities. His legs were pretty much gone, hanging on just pieces of flesh," said Doctor Mohammad Subeh, an emergency physician in Saratoga. "Half of his left hand was gone. He had shrapnel injuries to his limbs and abdomen."
Subeh has done two volunteer medical missions to Gaza. On the second day of his first trip, Subeh was the doctor who had to amputate Ahmed's legs in a makeshift tent hospital--without anesthesia.
"Not much in terms of equipment and medication were available to us. Made it nearly impossible for us to save lives or save limbs," Subeh said.
He says young Ahmed is mature beyond his 15 years.
MORE: Bay Area doctor describes horrific scenes from frontline medical mission to Gaza
"His soul is so beautiful. You sit and talk with him, just for a few minutes, and you realize his perspective on life and gratitude," Subeh said. "I think we have a lot to learn from children like Ahmed, in terms of their resilience and their ability to see purpose in their life."
Ahmed says he holds Subeh in the highest regard for saving his life and for being a what he calls, "a courageous man."
Through it all, Ahmed says he has learned "strength, courage and patience." He praises God for the blessing to continue on in life when he knows so many others in similar circumstances in Gaza have died.
He says Gaza has been destroyed, describing in detail how tough life has become after 14 months of war. There is not much to go back to.
He is a soccer fan, likes video games and--like most teens--keeps busy with social media. He plans to go to college and work in the field of computer science. But what Ahmed is not, is a victim. He says he is young. And that gives him time to rebuild his life to one day be in service of his country and community.
