Disclaimer: The article contains descriptive content on the topic of the Beirut Port explosion that some readers may find triggering. Reader’s discretion is advised.
The Beirut port explosion has left many families broken. The blast stole the lives of their loved ones away from them. Fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, siblings, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends… so many losses, so many pains.
Among the still grieving parents are Sarah Copland and Craig Oehlers who were residing in Beirut during the tragedy. They now shared heartbreaking messages in remembrance of their son, Isaac Oehlers, who was only 1 year and 3 months when he died from his injuries.
“Never in a million years did I imagine Isaac to become known in this way,” said his mother, Sarah via Twitter, sharing a picture of a billboard in Lebanon with Isaac’s face on it.
But, she was grateful “to the Lebanese people who have adopted him as one of their own and always remember him.”
For the Lebanese, he became known as Baby Isaac, hailed as one of their own victims, and remembered as such.
Craig Oehlers, Isaac’s father, also shared the horrific feeling of losing his firstborn two years ago because of the evil of others that took his son away from him.
“And every day since then, the pain of losing you eats into my soul. I have cried a million tears, and I will cry millions more for you my son,” he added on his Twitter account.
Baby Isaac’s death shattered the hearts of his parents and the Lebanese people, who saw an innocent baby killed by the main fault of the Lebanese authorities storing and neglecting ammonium nitrate among civilians.
Just like the rest of the victims’ families, Oehlers are still demanding a transparent probe into the Beirut explosion, as a way to bring justice to Isaac’s soul.
Last year, Surscok Museum and the Australian embassy in Lebanon honored baby Isaac, installing a swing in the museum with a memorial behind it, there where he used to enjoy playing.
Sarah Copland also shared a video to call on the international community to establish an international investigation into the Beirut blast:
The 244+ Beirut Blast Victims, Remember Their Names
Related: Here’s The Timeline Of The The Beirut Blast Investigation, 2 Years Later
