Jordan’s Christian family gives fellow Muslims their best
Adib Akroush shudders to sound of a gunshot. The 60-year old lost his youthful son to a similar fire some 14 years ago.
Recalling bitter details, tearful Akroush says: “William was playing with my gun, unaware of a bullet that he accidently fired piercing in and out of his head.” Soon the doctors declared him brain dead, admitting their helplessness to save his life.
Too late for miracles and prayers, William lost his battle for life in four days. The grieved father did not receive the body for burial. Instead, he opted to donate his organs for transplants.
“All I could think of is that others should benefit from William's organs . . . His death should give life to others as my William was generous in his life so why not be in his death?”
Akroush acted with unique courage that day. In about two hours, he could convince William’s mourning mother to let the doctors of King Hussein Medical City to take out vital organs for likely transplants.
Jordan’s best medical facility networked with a wide array of hospitals, meanwhile, chose five deserving
recipients of William's heart, lungs, kidneys, and corneas. They were all Muslims by faith.
“It was a spiritual moment when I felt closer to God,” the aging dad says with a smile of contentment.
Akroush family is not the only Christians family to donate their loved one’s organs. William Yacoub Azizat set the precedent in 1985 in Jordan by donating his priest brother’s heart, liver and kidneys to four Muslim families. Thus Christians Jordanians opened the door for organ donation in the country.
Both Christianity and Islam allow donation of human organs. Jordan’s Department of Issuing General to Islamic law legitimizes use of corneas of the dead as well as other organs like hearts and kidneys after consent of the donor before his death or permission of his family and medical experts’ assurances for success of the process.
Akroush takes out photographs of his son which he always carries in his wallet. "He was a young man, special in everything. Besides being ahead in academics, he was a lover of music and also used to sing for a band," says a father who cannot stop missing William.
His proud but sad mother refuses to talk to this correspondent.
The family believes that through organ donation, William is pursuing his ambitions in multiple human beings and helping make their lives better.
Their noble act did come with a price. Some hardline, conservative relative objected strongly against the Akroush’s family’s decision to donate organs and that too to a set of Muslim families.
“I always believed in my life that Jordanians are the same, whether they believe in Christianity or Islam,” he explains. Akroush has countless memories with his Muslims friends.
Akroush first mildly smiled and then burst into a big laughter as he recounts an incident on the campus involving him and his three Muslims best friends.
During a chat, the discussion diverted towards male circumcision, a compulsory act of ‘purification’ for male children in Islam. The Muslim trio pushed him to be circumcised and that too at the age of 20.
Accepting the challenge, Akroush was escorted to a hospital for circumcision. He recalls that the doctor laughed at the men a little but agreed to operate. They soon learnt that he was a Christian too but was convinced about the benefits of a purification process for Muslim males.
The next day, his friend threw a lavish party, a similar to the one usually organized on circumcision of any child. He recalls that candies distributed, gifts presented to him and a religious sung for ‘the big child’.
His son’s donated organs in 1998 proved beginning of his voluntary journey to promote the practice in Jordan. The country’s association 'Jordan Society for Organ Donation', backed organ donation, and especially encouraged the families of brain dead patients for support.
Akroush says, “Usually such families turn down my request, hoping for miracles.” He strongly believes that awareness is increasing and hearts and minds are opening up.
Asmaa Aeraifah received William's heart and lungs at the age of 16. Her father “won’t forget Akroush family's favor”. She suffered from a congenital heart malformation since birth and arterial tension led to chronic damage to lungs. Now, she leads a normal life.
Akroush’s generosity did not end there, Aeraifah says, adding that a month of the surgery coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan, she was advised three-month bed rest in the hospital.
“Bored in the hospital, I wanted to spend Eid al-Fitr elsewhere. The surgeons agreed on the condition that home atmosphere should be healthy, something impossible in a poor household like mine,” she remembers.
Akroush offered to host her at William’s home where her parents are free to visit anytime they would like to.
While sleeping in William’s room those days, Aeraifah repeatedly heard sound of music. One night, she remembers, knocking at his parent’s bedroom to share her news of hearing music.
Both of William’s parents cried as they realized his spirit still exists between them. They told Aeraifah that their son played flute at night and her feeling was nothing but accurate.
Akroush’s weakening bond with five families saddens him as a few have left the country.
“I can’t forget Alskhen, who received William's cornea, who could see after a month lives a normal life with her children,” he proudly says.
Last year’s medical data suggests that 1,050 patients need to replace their kidneys and 1,080 need corneas but the number of donors is much smaller.
As always, Akroush is optimistic: "My dream is to spread awareness for organ donation in Jordan and he who received an organ donation knows the real meaning of giving.”
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