JEDDAH, 25 November 2004 — Iman, the daughter of Egyptian actor Sayed Zayan, who is undergoing treatment for a stroke in the Sulaiman Fakeeh Hospital, has asked his fans all over the Arab world to pray for his good health and quick recovery.
Iman, who spoke to Arab News yesterday, said her father was making progress under therapy here and thanked all well-wishers for their concern.
Zayan suffered a stroke a year and a half ago that affected his movement and speech. He was treated first in Egypt and then in Germany, where he began walking with the help of a cane, before coming to Saudi Arabia for advanced therapy.
“The progress of Zayan’s health is closely followed by Arab leaders,” Iman said. “President Hosni Mubarak was the first who offered all help, including bearing the medical costs. Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and other important personalities in the Arab world are also personally following my father’s progress,” she added.
Iman also dispelled rumors that her father was unable to meet the medical costs saying, “My father’s financial position is sound; he owns two buildings by the Nile, which is a very expensive area to own an apartment; he owns a mango farm and also has a dollar bank account.”
Iman added, “All this care and support my father is getting is largely due to the appreciation the people in the Arab world have for him, apart from the large number of fans from all over the world.
“My father is the only actor in the Arab world whose plays tackles sensitive political issues and social reforms in a light vein. He always believed that theater is his life, and has been successful in the few appearances in cinema and TV series,” said Iman, adding that her father’s real breakthrough in the show business came after he acted with Fouad Al-Mohandis in the great hit theater play “My Fair Lady.” He continued to be successful in different plays and movies.
She, while hoping that her father would get better soon, said the last work that he appeared in was the TV series “White & White”, which was aired a year ago during the month of Ramadan.
