ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — An elderly Kurdish man from Kirkuk province has recovered from coronavirus despite suffering from long-term illnesses, including cancer.
Bahaddin Darwesh, originally from Kirkuk’s Mamrash village, contracted the virus on August 1 and recovered after 29 days. His identity card states his year of birth as 1912, but grandson Hemin Latif says he was born in 1919 or 1920.
Suffering from heart failure and blood cancer since 2012, Darwesh was in a “very bad” condition according to his family, who believed he would die.
His underlying health conditions contributed to his worsening state, according to the family.
Most people who contract coronavirus experience mild symptoms, but it can be particularly deadly for those with underlying health conditions.
His family are unsure how he caught the virus, saying he was careful not to kiss his daughters for fear of contracting the disease.
Latif said that they had not taken their grandfather to hospital, with doctors visiting him at his home in Kirkuk city’s Azadi quarter.
Darwesh has five children, and was widowed in 1998.
The first case of coronavirus was recorded in late February in Iraq. The country has recorded 247,039 cases so far. Of this number, 187,757 have recovered and 7,275 have died.
Translation by Karwan Faidhi Dri
