Despite being 80 percent burned, completely deaf in both ears, and emerging from a three-month coma, Thwayib Hamza never thought he would return to Dubai. However, the Indian expatriate has made an astonishing recovery from an accident that doctors believed would be fatal.
"On the way to the hospital, I thought I was going to die," Thwayib recounted, remembering the incident in 2019. "Once there, I begged the doctors for anesthesia due to the unbearable pain. The subsequent months are a blur to me." He soon fell into a coma at Rashid Hospital. Doctors had cautioned Thwayib’s family about the rarity of survival for someone with 80 percent burns across three skin layers. At the time of the accident, his wife was pregnant with their second child. "They prepared my family for the worst," he said, speaking from his hometown in India. "I weighed 86kg before the accident, but just 40kg when I woke from the coma. I couldn’t even lift an empty water bottle."
Working as a driver in Al Dhaid, Thwayib had returned from his annual vacation in India and was preparing for Fajr prayers when the accident occurred in October. "I was heading for a bath with just a towel around my waist," he described. "I entered the kitchen, turned on the stove to make tea, and the next thing I knew, flames engulfed me. I ran out screaming." His colleagues rushed him to the nearest hospital in Al Dhaid, which referred him to hospitals with specialized burn units. Two days later, he was transferred to Rashid Hospital and slipped into a coma.
After waking from the coma, Thwayib underwent multiple surgeries. "For weeks, they operated on every part of my body and performed skin grafts wherever possible," he said. A medical report detailed several debridement sessions followed by skin grafts. He later faced additional health complications, including sudden deafness due to excessive antibiotics administered during his coma to prevent skin infections or bed sores, common in burn victims.
After months of surgeries and physiotherapy, Thwayib could finally sit in a wheelchair and was sent back to his hometown to recover. "I couldn’t sit, stand, or lie down without pain," he recalled. "I visited several hospitals and underwent many treatments, eventually accepting my permanent deafness." Determined to walk again, he relentlessly pursued physiotherapy. "Initially, I nearly fell when trying to stand, but I persisted and increased my exercise sessions." Now, he can walk, run, and jump normally.
Thwayib is deeply thankful to his former employer, Al Nakhli Sector, for covering all his medical expenses. He also expresses gratitude to the doctors and nurses at Rashid Hospital, especially Dr. Amna Belhoul and Dr. Marwan Al Zarouni, for their crucial support. Eager to return to Dubai, Thwayib hopes to find employment and show his gratitude to the country that supported him during his darkest times.
