Hannah’s mom. Previous Academic Acute Care Surgeon, but now mostly living the stay-at-home mom life in North Carolina.
Jan 2, 2024 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
His last day in #Gaza
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1/ “Day #7: A constant bombardment of the immediate neighborhoods of the hospital. The hospital was shaking like a leaf in a storm.
Waves of mass casualties.
2/ The problem is that no one, ambulance or injured person, can move & be transferred to the hospital until the morning. Moving during the night is a death sentence. Any moving object is completely annihilated.
Jan 2, 2024 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
1/ We’d both discussed going to Gaza to volunteer. I was thinking in the recovery phase; he was thinking as soon as possible.
So, when the opportunity presented, be signed up and I supported him.
2/ And compared to what he went through, it was nothing…but also, it was so hard.
It was hard to explain to our daughter why he was gone for the holidays.
It was hard to tell her he would be safe, when I couldn’t guarantee that.
Jan 2, 2024 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
His 6th day in Gaza
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1/ “Day 6 (Saturday): At 6am, we heard the loudest bomb since we got to Khan Younis. We thought it was one of the 2000 lb bombs that was dropped, but a few minutes later we found out it was a bomb fired on a neighbor only 200 yards away from the hospital.
2/ The survivors were carrying the injured ones in pieces of cloth & rushing them to the ED. We received 11 injured ones. 5 died in ED, 3 were rushed to the OR for amputations of their lower extremities & 2 survived with minor injuries.
Jan 2, 2024 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
His 5th day in #Gaza
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“Day 5 (Friday): Many waves of mass casualties with heart breaking individual stories. Few of our Gazan healthcare colleagues were killed as they were traveling back & forth between Rafah & Khan Younis where the hospital was located.”
2/ “One of them had just finished operating with me & 2 hours later I saw his body in the ED.”
Jan 1, 2024 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
His third day in #Gaza
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Day three:
By three pm, we finally caught up with the acute & subacute cases. I even did an elective case, a patient with a GBM who was symptomatic. Many patients with unsuspecting burns almost look like phosphorus but it’s not.
2/Food is very scare, water is a very valuable commodity, access to bathroom is a privilege. Sanitation even within the hospital reminds me of the slums of India.
The healthcare is actively collapsing.
Jan 1, 2024 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
My husband in Gaza.
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1/ Day 2 (Tuesday): crossed Rafah. Overwhelming welcome. Total devastation observed as we drove.
Sea of refugees & displaced families living in the premises of the 2 hospitals we visited.
2/ People are living in the hospitals thinking these places are their best bet for safety. Over 100,000 in & outside the two hospitals.
Scores of injured people from mild to severe injuries. Exhausted staff.
Dec 27, 2023 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
1/ My husband is part of the 1st team of US physicians to enter #Gaza on a medical mission in Khan Younis.
While many Palestinians have been dealing with this feeling for over 80 days, the past 24 hours have been so difficult without hearing from him until this morning.
2/ He is keeping a mini journal and I am posting it here.
“Day 1 (Monday): 12 hrs journey to Rafah crossing. 11 Egyptian checkpoints. Painful process at each check point.”
