ALKHOBAR, 17 August 2007 — Last Friday morning a convoy set out from Saad Specialist Hospital in Alkhobar to Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport (KFIA). The ambulance at the head of the line of vehicles carried a precious life. Engineer Moataz Mohammed Abdul Mohnsif Ahmed Ibrahim was finally going home to Cairo.

Moataz, 29, was critically injured in a traffic accident near Jubail in August 2006. In April 2007, Arab News covered the story of his family’s struggle to repatriate him to Egypt. Since that date, Arab News continued to visit the family at the hospital and became part of the team working to find a way to take Moataz home.

Moataz was eventually well enough to breathe on his own. Other than this, despite the best medical assistance, he remains profoundly incapacitated and there is no positive outlook for his future. His mother, Muna A. Abu Baker, has been heroic; remaining by Moataz’s side and learning all the nursing procedures required for his care.

Thanks to Moataz’s employer, Alcatel-Lucent, in July the adjustable bed and other expensive medical furnishings needed for Moataz’s life at home were set up at his parents’ apartment in Cairo and the travel arrangements were completed. Egypt Air offered to take free of charge the 37 suitcases and cartons containing Moataz’s required medications and equipment to be shipped home with him from Saudi Arabia. The insurance company Apri should also be commended for their support in Moataz’s treatment.

Haitham Hijaz, the supervisor of the Ambulance and Emergency Medical Service at Saad Specialist Hospital, took the responsibility for Moataz’s safety on the journey home. KFIA Operations Manager Abdul Mohsin Al-Shaikh and Abdullah S. Al-Khudairi, KFIA Airport Operations’ duty manager, provided VIP treatment to Moataz and his mother at the airport. Al-Khudairi personally coordinated their every requirement, even sending airport paramedics out to the tarmac to assist with Moataz’s transfer to the aircraft.

In Cairo, a team from Alcatel-Lucent stood by to receive the family at the airport and take them home. Moataz’s mother advised Arab News that Moataz smiled when his father embraced him at the airport.

It is now hoped that with a return to familiar surroundings some further improvement may occur in Moataz’s functionality. His mother prays that he becomes more conscious and hopes he will find a way to communicate. These are small goals for a son who once had such a bright future.