Essay and hope for life

Ahmad Gholami-fard, was born in 1964, Mashahd, Iran

Since he was a little child, he began to learn team working by helping other members of his family at work. Instead of going to school, he spent his time to help his old father with his job as a mechanic teaching other people the real meaning of self-devotion. On 1984, by the time his brother was back from his military service he became a soldier to assist his people and country. Soon on 1986, he and his comrades were injured by chemical weapons in the suburbs of Abadan and was hospitalized for healing his cutaneous, optic and pulmonic disorders. After his military service he got back to his family and continued his job.

Respiratory problems due to inhaling sulfur mustard weakened his ability of working and his pulmonary disorders were so chronic that he had to travel to Germany for his therapy several times.

Even these disabilities did not detain him from helping his family and children to build a brighter future. The severe obstruction of his upper respiratory system did not effect on his hopes and efforts in life.

Now he and his two high-educated children are happily living in Mashhad.

A survivor of a field hospital

Sayed Kamal, Born in 1963, Isfahan, Iran

Fatemeh-Zahra, a field hospital located near the southern front of the Iran-Iraq war, was a place to provide medical cares to war casualties and local people but it was attacked by airplanes and artilleries of Iraqi army several times and the medical staff had got used to this condition.

Sayed Kamal, as a lab technician replaced the previous group whom were wounded during an air strike and what was unusual for him was that he had to learn how to use protective equipment against chemical attacks and undergo training to be prepared for a possible gas attack.

In March 1986, the bad thing happened and the field hospital was targeted by chemical bombs containing Sulfur Mustard. The gas attack, resulted in serious exposure of doctors, nurses, medical staff as well as the patients and wounded soldiers, Seyed Kamal was also among those who were exposed and sustained injuries. He knew that this was a violation of humanitarian law about protection of hospitals during the armed conflicts.

The hospital was contaminated and became dysfunctional so Sayed Kamal was unable to return to work by the time he was partially recovered from initial injuries.

Despite suffering from long term health effects due to his exposure to Mustard Gas, he continued his life by participating in social and educational activities. Due to lung problem, he had to move to other part of the country with more humid climate.. Currently he is working with an NGO to advocate for chemical weapons victims.

From Gas attack to Peace activism

Asadollah Mohammadi was

Born on 1964 in Kashan, at the center of Iran. He was 22 when he was seriously injured during a gas attacks by Iraqi airplanes in Majnoon island in 1986. He spent several months in the hospitals following his exposure to Mustard gas and due to severe pulmonary and visual problems; he couldn't get back to work and normal life any more.

Inhalation of Mustard gas caused stenosis and scaring in his trachea (windpipe) and main airways of his lung so he had to travel to Germany from time to time to undergo complicated surgery to keep his airways open and had to be under strict medical care for his lung lesions.,

Despite all his physical and psychological difficulties, he did not lose his hope; he returned to the society, started a family and began his social and cultural activities in his hometown. To have access to better medical care he had to move to the capital and studied Chemistry in the University then he joined the NGO Tehran Peace Museum as a volunteer. He is currently involved in several educational activities to raise public awareness on catastrophic consequences of war and Chemical Weapons and to promote a culture of Peace among young generation and other citizens..

Mehri Melkari

She was born in 1964 in sardasht and got married in 1987 her son was less than a year during the chemical bomb attacks in sardasht.

Lots of her family members got poisoned by mustard gas and many of them died or sent to other cities for special treatments and some of them were sent overseas.

Mehri and her husband were sent to Spain and she got her health back but without her son and husband, she lost them…

Nowadays she is still suffering from chemical injuries late effects and living her life with hope that someday there is a world without war, sanction or mass destructive weapons.