Faud Al-Hashem       page 5                 go to page  1  2  3  4  5 

Suddenly Fuad saw an armed Iraqi soldier standing in the middle of the desert. He was frightened. He slowed and looked at the soldier to see what he was going to do. The soldier, who was about 45, looked Fuad right in the eyes, and pointed his gun toward Saudi Arabia. He was showing Fuad the correct way. 

The happiest moment of Fuada life was when he saw a Saudi soldier on the border. The second happiest was when he got into a tub of water. Once safely across the border, however, Fuad felt that if there were chemical warfare his baby would still not be safe. So, he made his way to Cairo to wait out the crisis from a distance. 

After his escape, Fuad reflected on the condition of life for his fellow Kuwaitis still suffering under Iraqi rule, especially those who were ill. He recalled the day in 1984 he had visited a friend in the hospital. Fuad had heard a child screaming and, upon investigating, he found that child having dialysis. He was told that the child needed a kidney transplant but that Kuwait did not have a transplant program. Moved, Fuad began working that day to rectify the problem. By the time of the invasion, six years later, the Kuwaiti Transplant Society had arranged transplants for 100 persons. When Fuad heard that the Iraqis were now stealing all the dialysis machines and hospital equipment, he knew that a lot of people would die painful deaths. He is concerned about his family that stayed behind and mourns the loss of his country that, within hours, had just disappeared. 

Now in Cairo, Fuad is worried about how to support his wife and child and stunned by the total devastation of his way of life. He masks his concern with a smile, humor, and good nature. I interviewed many such Kuwaitis. I cried a lot. I only laughed once and that was with Fuad Al-Hashem.

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