'The world exploded': Beirut blast takes a husband, father

Soha Sae h t seen her husband since Christmas. coronavirus pandemic h kept 44-year-old Jih in Nigeria, where he worked far from his family in Beirut. Once travel restrictions eased, he flew home with a new sense of urgency: His 6-year old h been diagsed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Toger, Jih and Soha spent 13 days with ir daughter, Gemma, as she received treatment. “We only h one more day left in hospital,” Soha said.

When smoke billowed outside hospital window Tuesday, couple lamented Beirut's pollution and disorder. Soha began to film it on her phone, n went out to check with nurses if re was reason to worry.

As she opened door, “ world exploded."

In an instant, she h to make a wrenching decision — focus on her daughter, who suddenly was watching blood gush from her stunned far's he, or leave girl with ors and try to save life of man she loved.

Soha carried her burly husband down nine floors, walking barefoot on broken glass. hospital was longer functioning. She h to find ar.

Strangers appeared and helped her down stairs. Her bror arrived to help. Soha reached a doctor friend on phone who talked her through basic first aid.

“Jiho, answer me, don’t go,” she pleed with her husband.

But it was too late. Or hospitals, overwhelmed, turned couple away. Soha's husband died in her arms. He never said a word.

“He didn’t even open his eyes. I saw his soul (leaving his body),” Soha said.

She only removed broken glass from her feet three days later.

She doesn't kw how to ever remove pain.

Tuesday's blast killed nearly 150 people. Search teams are still looking for bodies as some families don’t kw wher to mourn.

“You are t supposed to die in a hospital. This is what is killing me,” Soha said.

couple's love h survived so much. Jih, a hotel manr, grew up in Nigeria but never severed ties with Leban. He was kwn for his generosity and for being a family man, his wife said.

y married in 2009 but Soha h to return home from Nigeria when West African country was shaken by an Ebola virus outbreak a few years ago and she h a baby. Violence in Leban n thwarted ir plans to live toger re.

In ir long-distance conversations “he would tell me every day, ‘Don’t worry, my love. Don’t have a concern,’” Soha recalled. “If I wanted moon, he would bring it to me. He would never make me angry. ... He would never make anyone angry."

couple met every two months until, again, a virus outbreak disrupted ir plans. And n ir daughter received her diagsis.

Finally, when Jih could travel, he came bearing gifts. After days in hospital by his family's side, he visited ir 9-year-old son, Karl, for a weekend. He returned two days before explosion, bearing new pajamas for his wife and a plate of tabbouleh for his daughter, who h craved it.

“His biggest concern was his family. He was carrying a big lo. Everyone was counting on him,” Soha said.

“He used to give me peace of mind.”