Lebanon: affected by Israeli strikes, footballer Céline Haidar came out of a coma

Céline Haidar is conscious. The mother of the 19-year-old Lebanese footballer, injured in the head during an Israeli strike in November in the southern suburbs of Beirut, says her daughter has been out of a coma since Monday. “She would sometimes open her eyes, but she would go back to sleep because of the medication,” Sanaa Chahroura explained to the media L’Orient Le Jour this Thursday. Little by little, the doctor reduced the dose and, on the third day, she was able to wake up. She looked at us, we said to her: Blink if you hear us. When she did it we couldn’t believe it, we kissed her all over her body. She squeezed us with her hand. It is an indescribable joy. »

On November 16, the young Lebanese international was seriously injured by a stone thrown into the air after an Israeli bombardment, during an airstrike during the conflict between the Hebrew state and Hezbollah. Having undergone skull surgery, the young woman was sedated, intubated and placed in a coma. And if she is not yet able to speak, Céline Haidar can communicate with those close to her “with movements, by writing on a paper or by shaking hands,” says her mother. “My daughter is strong. She fought because she loves life,” she says.

“She had big dreams, and I want her to be able to achieve them”

The footballer, who plays at BFA Beirut, still has to undergo another operation. His left arm and left leg, still immobile, must also be treated via physiotherapy treatment, explains Sanaa Chahroura. Long stages which inevitably jeopardize the rest of his career. “His father and I think about that a lot,” his mother admits. Its care takes time. She had big dreams, and I want her to be able to achieve them. We will do everything to… He is also a very stubborn and very strong person! »