Burjeel initiative benefits Palestinian amputee

Three young men from different countries are now among the growing number of amputees worldwide, benefiting from the continuous evolution of a 1950s medical breakthrough.

While American Joshua Arnold, 29, is set to continue his rehabilitation support at the Paley Orthopaedic & Spine Institute in Florida, Palestinian Anas Jebeihi, 30, and Indian Sharon Cheriyan, 33, remain in the capital, undergoing physiotherapy sessions at the Burjeel Medical City (BMC).

The three met for the first time when Jebeihi and Arnold – up-and-about – from their respective two-hour August 12 osseointegration surgeries, visited the recovering Cheriyan, operated on August 13, through the same procedure, that also lasted for two hours.

They are the first three beneficiaries of the Dhs4-million “10 Journeys Initiative” by Abu Dhabi-based healthcare group Burjeel Holdings founder/chairman Shamsheer Vayalil.

At the helm of the three surgeries and the remaining seven, is Orthopaedics Surgery consultant Dr. Munjed Al Muderis, also a professor. He founded the Osseointegration Group of Australia composed of specialists in prosthetics, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, anaesthesia, and psychology specialists in 2010.

Eleven years earlier or in 1999, when he was a novice surgeon at the Saddam Hussein Medical Centre in Baghdad, his family fled their home country of Iraq, and as refugees, relocated Down Under.

Last May 27, Burjeel Holdings inaugurated within the BMC complex, the Al Muderis Osseointegration Clinic, part of the Paley Middle East Clinic. It was where Jebeihi, Arnold, and Cheriyan had been operated on; by way of the osseointegration prosthetic limb which Al Muderis pioneered several years back, in Australia.

On the same day, Vayalil announced the “10 Journeys Initiatives.” Inspiration is the story of Syrian siblings, Sham Al-Sheik Mohammed and her younger brother Omar. They were among the survivors of the 7.8-magnitude February 6, 2023 earthquake that struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria. Sham was nine then. She and Omar were rescued from the deep rubble of Idlib, on February 7. Twenty-two days later, they were airlifted from a hospital in Istanbul to BMC.

Their UAE treatment was under the directives of UAE Mother of the Nation, Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and Honorary President of the Emirates Red Crescent.

Medical records showed that Sham sustained severe injuries requiring complex orthopaedic surgery. Omar was also treated for traumatic injuries. He had to endure prolonged rehabilitation.

Al Muderis told Gulf Today that Jebeihi, Arnold and Cheryan became the first three of 10 beneficiaries based on three parameters: medical evaluation, financial need, and background assessment “involving trauma, conflict, or severe disability where surgery would have life-changing impact.”

For background, Jebeihi lost his left leg and right eye at age 12 when he mistook for an “avocado-shaped artifact” and took home an old grenade he had fished out while cutting grass for his sheep in the West Bank. Eight prosthetics in different countries were of limited relief. Louisiana-born-and-raised Arnold lost his right arm and left eye from a motorcycle accident in 2024. Early socket prosthetics caused severe discomfort.

Cheriyan was forced to use a cane since age 21; surviving a 2013 motorcycle accident in Kerala wherein his his co-rider friend died instantly. A medical team decided that amputating his right leg was the last recourse to save him from his nine-month ordeal of crushed pelvis and leg, complicated by stomach injuries and infection.

From the website of the Osseointegration Group of Australia, the “life-changing procedure involves the fitting of an advanced implant into the residual bone at the site of the amputation. New bone growth fixes the implant, which then connects to an external prosthetic.”

“Osseointegration offers a permanent alternative to socket prosthetics, which often cause pain, discomfort, and complications. It provides stability, comfort, natural movement, and even sensory feedback. The implants are designed to last, with proper rehabilitation ensuring lasting outcomes. It directly transforms lives by giving patients independence, dignity, and mobility,” Al Muderis further explained.

According to Al Muderis, bodybuilder since 2016 Jebeihi, determined to complete his Electrical Engineering master’s degree, is “progressing well and preparing to return to Palestine.” Cheriyan is “recovering well; planning to resume work and seek opportunities in the UAE after completing rehabilitation.”