Israeli Man Survives Having Iron Rod Pierce Through His Skull

An Israeli man is breathing easier after recovering from having an iron rod pierce through his skull.

Back in April, Kamel Abdel Rahman was at a construction site in Abu Ghosh, looking at an apartment being built for his family, when he slipped and fell onto iron rods a floor below, according to Today.com.

“As I was falling, I thought I would die. But when I landed, I realized I was still alive and didn’t even have any pain. I was talking,” the 46-year-old told Today through a translator.

Yes, despite having an iron rod in his head, Rahman said he was “totally functioning” while first responders treated him before taking him to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.

It was definitely not a normal day for Dr. Samuel Moscovici, a neurosurgeon who operated on Rahman at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.

“When I got to the trauma room, I saw a man with an iron rod through his head ― it just went through, one side to the other,” Moscovici told World Israel News.

Imaging tests showed that while the rod had passed between two vital arteries that supply blood to the brain, it managed not to damage them.

“For many hours, we analyzed the wound, and we took the rod out of his head very carefully,” Moscovici said, describing a 15-hour surgery. Doctors performed a brain catheterization on Rahman before closing up the area.

They waited a few days for the swelling to go down. Then, Rahman underwent a 10-hour endoscopic surgery to repair damage caused by the rod and to stop the leakage of cerebrospinal fluid.

The doctors’ cautious optimism was rewarded when about two weeks after his accident, Rahman woke up showing positive vital signs.

He was released from the hospital last week and is grateful for escaping death.

“[The doctors] saved my life, my speech, and my walking,” Rahman told Israel21c.org. “Those who saw me didn’t believe that I’d live, and those who thought I’d live didn’t believe I’d be standing up on my feet,” he said. “I’ll be thanking them my whole life.”

Rahman told Today.com that he’s pretty much back to his basic routine, including fasting for Ramadan this month.

In fact, the only lingering symptoms from his horrific injury are some sinus problems, a slight reduction in hearing and general fatigue.