2 kids face trying times after wall collapsed at park
dubai — Life has changed for two Dubai-based families after their 12-year-old kids were injured after a wall collapsed on them this January.
Jordanian national Rakan Rafat Alomari and his Australian friend Myra Bonnici were sitting on a bench at a park in Dubai South on a Friday afternoon when a make-shift wall collapsed on them.
Some security guards lifted the massive structure to pull them out from the debris and then rushed them to a neighbouring hospital.
Rakan’s mother Rawia Hummouri said: “We were initially told that his spinal cord had cracked and he had zero chances of moving. After that, he had a spinal cord surgery at Rashid Hospital.
Rakan’s father has been without a job for a year and his mother is a teacher.
“We have a basic insurance cover. But that time somebody stepped in to help us and we were able to move him to Germany for an urgent three-week rehabilitation process. However, we were unable to complete the treatment due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Rakan also developed several other complications, and the family is now reeling under mounting expenditures. “We have had to spend Dh17,000 to 20,000 per month for his physiotherapy sessions and other necessities. On top of all these, the psychological trauma that Rakan has had to go through is immense.”
Myra’s mother Denise Bonnici also is in similar situation. “Myra, who loves playing instruments, is unable to do so now. After having fractured her right hand and two vertebrae, she has not been back to school since the accident. She already had a surgery at a private hospital but requires two more surgeries in future. She can’t sit or stand for long. She is gradually getting back to playing the piano but it still hurts,” said Bonnici.
Both families now appeal to the authorities to make the people concerned accountable for not carrying out proper safety checks.
Dh20K Monthly expenses for Rakan’s therapy, other necessities