Yemeni MP works in New York after open heart surgery

Yemen

Yamanat

Mohammed Al-Mekhlafi

Yemeni parliamentarian Ahmed Saif Hashid arrived in New York last May of the year 2025, and his heart was groaning with pain that weighed down his arteries until they seemed on the verge of bursting due to the severity of the exhaustion he endured and the pressure of the circumstances he endured while defending the rights of the oppressed to the general public.

He came with his illness and the concerns of a homeland that never leaves him, seeking an opportunity for treatment after being exhausted by medical means in his country, which is experiencing the greatest human tragedy.

His arrival in the United States was no ordinary medical trip, but rather the result of a noble humanitarian effort led by the Yemeni community in New York.

They were the ones who organized everything: medical appointments, hospital procedures, accommodation and even the smallest details he needed during his stay abroad. They opened their doors and their hearts to him and stood by his side as children stand by their father.

They have all their thanks and appreciation for their position, which reflects the authenticity of Yemenis wherever they are, and for their support, which sustained him in one of the most difficult stages of his life.

He underwent open-heart surgery at one of the best hospitals in New York, and it was a success, thank God. After a few days of careful care, doctors advised him to remain under observation for about two months, until his condition stabilized and his injuries were completely healed. But Hashid, by his nature who does not know how to wait and does not accept long stays outside the country, refused to stay. He took his heavy heart and his wounds which were not yet dried and left New York towards Cairo.

The journey was long and exhausting and left him feeling intense pain at the operation site, until dark spots appeared around the operation due to the pressure and sitting for hours. But he endured all this in silence and returned to Cairo at the beginning of last October.

There he found himself between four walls in a small apartment, trying to adapt to his loneliness and gather his strength to continue his therapeutic journey, which was not yet over. He still needs surgery on his palate and also suffers from spinal problems and peripheral neuropathy, all illnesses that require ongoing care and long patience.

Despite what he was going through, he tried to stay upright. He sometimes danced and shared light clips on his Facebook page, not for fun, but in an attempt to escape the weight of reality, and to hide for a moment from the complex scene in Yemen and the recent events that are hitting the country and threatening to divide it.

All these pressures, both health and psychological, forced him to decide to return to New York. He returned with a burden greater than his exhausted body and he wished he could return to his country, even just a day before that, to visit the family he had left behind in Sanaa, living in a modest rented apartment and suffering like ordinary mortals. They are not owners of villas or property, but rather a family similar to millions of Yemeni families whose lives have been burdened by war and whose lives have been made difficult.

He returned to New York to try to seize a new chance in life, even if his heart remained stuck there, where he had left his homeland, his family, his memories and everything that resembled him.

Just two days after returning to New York, he appeared in a photo on his Facebook page, working in a cafe, making coffee with his hands for a customer. It is a painful picture for those who know his history and his positions, but at the same time it is a bright picture that exposes reality and reveals the difference between a man who chose to remain pure, with his palms and head held high, and a crowd of corrupt people who sold their conscience cheaply.

He stood behind the coffee machine as he always stood behind his stands. Unshakable, not ashamed of work and not hiding from the truth. He lives a simple life, but it is a life that resembles his soul, pure, honest and free from power or interest.

This is Ahmed Saif Hashid, as we knew him, a patient fighter, who does not bend before the weight of the body or the cruelty of alienation, and does not allow himself to be changed by the circumstances that surround him. He bore his country’s wounds before his own, and his beating heart for his country remained stronger than any illness.

Yemen