An Emirati woman who woke after 27 years in a coma has spoken of her love for her son at a long-term care centre.
Munira Abdulla made global headlines last week when The National revealed how she had regained consciousness for the first time since 1991.
Ms Abdulla suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of 32 when the vehicle she and son Omar, 4, were travelling in was involved in a collision with a school bus in Al Ain.
Almost three decades later, she woke in a hospital room in Germany to the sound of her son's voice.
Appearing on camera for the first time in Abu Dhabi's ProVita long-term care centre, Ms Abdulla and son Omar Webair, 32, were able to converse, although her speech is strained.
Omar bends down over his mother’s bed asking: “Munira do you love me?”
“Yes,” his mother says.
“I love you more,” he responds with a smile.
“What dress would you like to wear tomorrow?” he asks her. “The red or the green?”
“The green,” she says.
“I know you love me. Right? Let’s read some Quran together,” he tells her.
Munira completes his sentences when he reads out verses of the Quran.
"She's the one who's memorised the Quran, not me," he tells The National with pride. "This is hope. I never lost it and all I want is for others to not lose their hope in their loved ones.
“My mother is living proof that there is always hope."
Mr Webair, a government employee, has been amazed by the reaction to his mother's case, and how millions of people worldwide have read about her.
He also tells of frustration towards doctors who told him there was no hope.
Mr Webair thanks the Crown Prince Court Abu Dhabi, which paid for her treatment abroad.
“Without their support my mother would not have spoken again," he says.
“In spite of everything everyone told me and all the doctors, I knew in my heart that my mother would get well again.
“Please take care of your loved ones who are sick and put yourself in their shoes."
Despite her ability to understand basic conversation and respond to answers, Ms Abdulla, who woke in the Schoen Clinic in Bavaria in June 2018, remains "within the spectrum of minimally conscious state", her doctors in Abu Dhabi say.
Patients in a reduced state of consciousness are usually classed into three categories, all informally described as comas:
- In a full coma, the patient shows no signs of being awake, their eyes remain closed and they are entirely unresponsive to their environment
- A persistent vegetative state includes patients who seem awake but show no signs of awareness
- A minimally conscious state can include periods in which some basic reactions, such as moving a finger, can be seen.
Dr Ahmad Al Khayer, medical director of rehabilitation services at ProVita, says Ms Abdulla was originally treated there between 2011 and 2015, before moving on to other centres, and then Bavaria.
She returned to ProVita in October 2018.
To see someone speaking, even short sentences, is very rare [for long-term coma survivors]
Dr Al Khayer says that before going to Germany, he says she responded to pain and swallowed on occasion – all signs of a minimally conscious state.
He says doctors in Germany reported that she began “tracking her son with her eyes”.
“The important development is that she started to speak," he says.
"She moved from one aspect of cognition to a higher level of cognition, but within the spectrum of minimally conscious state."
This is very unusual but has been recorded before, Dr Al Khayer says.
“We don’t know what caused this," he says. "Is it a change in medication or the growing of new connections in the brain?
"She is not fully aware and not alert, and you need both of those to be in a complete cognitive state."
He says much of her speech is "recorded" – responses given in conversations, such as discussion of her favourite dress, and particularly recitation of the Quran.
“I realise that some of the speech is automatic speech, but to see someone speaking, even short sentences, is very rare [for long-term coma survivors],” Dr Al Khayer says.
“For someone who is 60 years old and with such a severe brain injury, 27 years is a very long time. The prognosis is that she will need long-term support and rehabilitation."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The%20Roundup
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IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAyan%20Mukerji%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERanbir%20Kapoor%2C%20Alia%20Bhatt%20and%20Amitabh%20Bachchan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
