We all probably know at least someone who is suffering from a fatal disease. Most of the time, we feel as hopeless as the person crumbling, not knowing how to help. We’ve heard stories that broke our hearts, stories that made us smile, and stories that inspired us and boosted our faith in humanity. The story of young Ahmad Delbani does all of that to those who knew of him. Tears, smiles, and empowerment.
Four years ago, Ahmad Delbani, a healthy 17-year young boy back then, fainted while playing football. At the hospital, it was discovered that his myocardial muscle, a heart muscle, is very weak. All his dreams vanished then and his life was about to with his young heart collapsing to no return. But, he refused to give up.
His hardships weren’t minimal in his journey towards the must of an artificial-heart transplant. His surrounding used to say that he was walking around holding his failing “heart” in his hands, and he felt it as such.
Soon, his myocardial muscle went on barely functioning at 5%. Young Delbani was medically on the verge to die. The urgency for a heart transplant became excruciating, and Lebanon couldn’t supply him with a suitable heart.
Sadly, and probably miserably for us, we have a very limited number of organ donors in Lebanon. Our society has still a long way to go to endorse such a humanly important stance of donating our organs when we no longer would need them.
When we think consciously about it, they better go to sustain another human life at our trespassing than have them sustain the life of the insects of the underground.
Delbani was left with the only option to seek a heart abroad while having no such means to do so. His painful story went viral in Lebanon with the call for collective help.
It is in those especially critical times that we come to touch the essence of our people and their real human value. In fact, the responses from the collective were many and heartwarming.
Lebanon witnessed a surge of selfless love and compassion from its society that bespoke of our true Lebanese nature. Individuals, organizations, and businesses responded.
From a guy who sold his $200 motorcycle and Janoub Motorcross that launched a cruise through the Lebanese villages to collect donations, and an old unfortunate man who donated all his daily income to all the various fundraising events involved, and you name it! The Lebanese people responded.
Through devotion and hard work, the Banin charity association, which was organizing the donations and the fundraising, managed to collect the funds for the surgery overseas. The fundraising #Save_ahmad is still ongoing on FB and Twitter the last I checked today.
And as we speak, Ahmad is getting ready to travel to Italy to undergo heart transplantation. May it be the end of his suffering and the beginning of something good, something extraordinary!
As our hearts and prayers go with Delbani in his journey to salvation abroad, we are compelled to stress on the importance that our society shifts up its consciousness towards organ donations.
Donating organs is neither difficult nor scary as it has been wrongly misconceived in Lebanon. It is also the noblest thing one can ever do. Our vital parts, which sustain us while living, don’t have to die with us.
They could go on living in others who are desperate for them, eradicating their sufferings and weaknesses, sustaining their lives, and allowing them, these fellow humans of ours, to continue their journey on earth when ours has been completed. In that, you would have given the most precious Gift of Life to another.
Let me tell you that your gift of life to others is a very simple process. You only have to register with a pertinent organization like the National Organization for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation (NOD-LB). Trust me, you won’t be touched until medically diagnosed as in your final minutes.
As per NOD-Leb, a person “can be a heart beating donor (brain dead donor) or non-heart beating donor (after cardiorespiratory arrest). Age from 4 to 75 years, free from any transmissible diseases.”
Many lives can depend on you!
Stories like the Delbani’s make you think of all those in need, all the people that are suffering from critical conditions and have no one by their side. Stories of responses like in this case make you believe that there is still hope in humanity in Lebanon, despite all the obstacles and stumbling blocks we are facing.
Stories like this make you wanna get out of your comfort zone and work on making this world a better place for everyone!
