Dubai: Khalifa Al Maamari, the 21-year-old Emirati student on a scholarship in the US, who caught the attention of thousands of people on social networks after falling very ill and being hospitalised in the US, is now back in the UAE and is undergoing treatment.
Thousands of people from all around the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) took to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook over the last week and a half to pray for Al Maamari after pictures began to circulate showing him on life support and in very poor health. A hashtag continued trending in his name, in which users used to share pictures and updates about him.
Al Maamari became known for his charismatic character and sense of humour after uploading several videos on Instagram about Turbo cars, but he also became known as an instant hero on the media three months ago for saving a young woman who was robbed after being knocked down by a car.
His brother, Rashid Al Maamari, was surprised to see the outpouring of support and prayers on social networks after his brother fell ill and decided to keep people updated about his brother’s health status by setting up a SnapChat account, a photo-video messaging app, to keep them informed.
However, he still hasn’t revealed any details about the illness his brother is suffering from and asked people to stop spreading rumours and to keep praying for him to fully recover.
Al Maamari’s family could not be reached by press time, but there was positive news about Al Maamari through the SnapChat account.
Over the past few days, Rashid has been uploading videos saying that his brother’s health has improved. Yesterday, he informed everyone that his brother was flown back to the UAE from Tallahassee, Florida and that he will be undergoing treatment here.
“I have great news for you, Khalifa is here with me in the UAE and is doing great. His health has improved a lot, thanks to God, first, and then your prayers. He sends his regards to each and every one of you. He will continue his treatment here until he fully recovers,” said Rashid on his private account and also on the account he set up after his brother’s illness.
He asked people for some privacy and not to ask where he is because Al Maamari needs to recover before meeting anyone. “Khalifa needs some time to recover. “I’ll keep you posted on when and where you can come visit him.”
A video was posted this morning (Sunday) on Al Maamari’s Instagram account sitting in the passenger seat speaking to his now 1.1 million followers, but his speech is still slightly impaired.
A caption read: “Thank you God. It’s by God’s grace first and then your prayers. I thank every person who took the time, whether old or young, to pray for me. This is something I will never forget. My country stood up for me and our leaders as well. I want to specially thank Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum [Dubai Crown Prince] for his full support in the US and here. I’m now continuing my treatment in the UAE to hopefully return the Khalifa that you guys all knew before. Please don’t forget to mention me in your prayers.”
He also posted a hashtag which translates into “People’s love is a treasure.”
A current hashtag in Arabic saying welcome back home is now trending as people continue to post prayers for him on his account page.
Gulf News earlier spoke to Al Maamari’s friend, Ali, who was studying with Al Maamari in the US, and he said that Al Maamari’s symptoms indicated that he might be suffering from a heart condition, which has been blocking oxygen to his brain. He also said that Al Maamari had fallen sick before for the same condition.
