Boy, 8, in coma told mother he ‘cannot live without her’ before being hit by car

A mother has told of her pain that her 8-year-old son, Noorallah, has been in a coma for more than two months since being hit by a speeding motorist.

Noorallah Ali Shalash lay in a coma in his hospital bed. His mother hopes that her son will recover soon. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

UMM AL QUWAIN // A distraught mother said her eight-year-old told her that he loved her and could not “live without you” minutes before being hit by a car.

Now, more than two months after the incident, little Noorallah Shalash lies in a coma in hospital, as his family prays that he will show signs of improvement.

On December 27, the boy ­uttered those words as he went to play with friends.

“Before he went out, he told me, ‘Mum, I love you and I cannot live without you’,” said Rola Fawzi Abu Al Hijaa, who also has four-year-old twins.

“At 7.30pm, a neighbour came and told me that a driver had run over my son. In the beginning, I thought it was a minor accident that had happened on the service road in front of the building. But when I went down I found him in the middle of the main street.”

Friends of Noor, as the boy is known, said he was trying to cross the main road back to his apartment on King Faisal Street.

“While they were standing on the street behind the yellow lane, a car hit Noor. The impact caused him to fly and fall in the middle of the street,” said his mother, a 35-year-old Jordanian.

When he arrived at UAQ Hospital, doctors thought he was already dead. He he was suffering from bleeding on the brain, extensive internal bleeding and fractures to his left leg and chest, said Ms Abu Al Hijaa.

“He was totally in a coma, with no movement and gestures for two months. But [now] he has opened his eyes, but without any movement of his pupils. He eats and drinks through pipes in his nose.”

A clever pupil, Noorallah dreamed of being a broadcast journalist because he liked talking and negotiating.

“He is a talkative, active and social child, and he loves having many friends. I don’t consider him as my kid, he is my friend,” Ms Abu Al Hijaa said.

“When I have a fight with his father, I sit with him and complain to him about my sadness. He is a kind, passionate and helpful child – he used to help me when I was pregnant with his twin siblings.”

Since the accident, the family are bereft of happiness, with each day spent waiting and living in hope that they will see some signs of recovery.

“His father always says that we are here to invest in Noor. We want him to be something great, but now we don’t know what destiny is hiding for us,” Ms Abu Al Hijaa said.

His grandmother cannot bear to see her grandson in this condition, so she stays home and prays.

“He is my special grandson among 11, and I wish this happened to me instead of him. I pray for him from the depth of my heart,” said Samera Mohammed, his Egyptian grandmother.

Noorallah’s mother is hopeful that he will make a full recovery, although doctors are unsure if that will be the case.

If he awakens from the coma, he will require a long period of rehabilitation, something the family will struggle to pay for.

“The only monthly income we get is through my husband’s job. We asked the rehabilitation centre and they said it would cost about Dh100,000 a month. Noor needs treatment for two to six months,” Ms Abu Al Hijaa said.

Noor’s uncle, Rami Fawzi Abu Al Hijaa, said that Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla Charitable and Humanitarian Establishment in UAQ had paid the hospital fees, but the family would need support to foot the rehabilitation costs.

The Egyptian driver of the car that hit Noor, A A, was held for 10 days before a judge fined him Dh2,000 for driving recklessly, said Talal Mohammed, a prosecutor at UAQ Traffic Court.

Anyone who wishes to help with the hospital bills can contact Noorallah’s uncle at 0553300633.