Blast victim fights on to make his wedding day

K. Basrie, Contributor, Jakarta

Febby Ferdiansyah had not planned to eat lunch at the JW Marriott Hotel that day.

Feeling drowsy, he was ready to beg off from his colleague's invitation and take a nap at his company's nearby office in the Menara Rajawali building.

The employee of PT Dharma Muda Pratama, a supplier of oil and gas equipment, went along anyway, believing it would be impolite to refuse.

Today, with second degree burns covering 45 percent of his body and lying bed-ridden in the cold, dry room of the temperature-controlled burns unit at Pertamina Hospital, Febby can only wonder why fate dealt him and the scores of other victims such a cruel hand.

"Is all this sorrow and pain what the murderers really want? And why me?" said the 26 year old.

The pain makes it difficult to sleep, and nurses report that he often cries out during the night.

But most difficult of all for him is accepting that his plans to marry on Aug. 16 in Pekanbaru, Riau, have had to be postponed.

"It's all my fault and fate that made everything end up like this," he told his bride-to-be, Sari, through the room's intercom.

Sari, looking at him through the window outside, tried hard to soothe his feelings.

"No dear, it's not your fault. It's life that we have to face together. Be strong," she said, tears falling down her cheeks.

On that fateful Tuesday morning, Febby had the excitement of his wedding on his mind. He was set to go on two weeks' leave on Wednesday, with his tickets, accommodation and the accessories needed for a traditional Malay wedding already prepared.

His day began as usual at 7 a.m. Before leaving his home in Mampang, South Jakarta, he spent a few minutes playing with his beloved seven-month-old nephew, Abrar, but Febby remembers they were having such a good time that they played longer than usual.

With Sari, who lives nearby, he drove through the hectic morning traffic in the capital, their usual routine. In about 20 minutes, they reached Febby's office, before Sari took the car and drove on to her office.

Febby then went to inspect the company's warehouse in Cakung- Cilincing, a one-hour drive north of Jakarta.

At about midday, two of the company's managers asked him to come along for a lunch for two clients at Marriott's Sailendra Restaurant. At about 12:30 p.m., the five arrived at the lobby of the 33-story hotel and went to the restaurant in the left wing of the main lobby.

At the restaurant's entrance, Febby said, two other senior employees were already there, waiting for them to join the lunch.

"Actually, I was so sleepy that afternoon, I don't know why. I was about to kindly pass up the offer and take a nap at my office. But I knew it was not right and would be impolite."

The group of seven, including one female employee, was stunned at how full the restaurant was as they waited for a table.

A few minutes later, Febby's group was led to a table next to the thick glass window of the restaurant. He chose the seat located next to the window.

He sat down and took a quick look outside; he remembers how bright the sky was. The group then got up and headed off in different directions to try the buffet.

"As far as I can remember, I first took a closer look at the dishes available and was about to take the food when I heard the first strong blast coming from behind me," he said.

"And I believe there was a second blast, which might have come from the stove (to heat food) in front of me being ignited by the first blast," he said.

"I hastily covered my face with my hands and threw myself onto the floor. For a few moments, my mind went blank."

In a matter of seconds, a thick cloud of dust blanketed the restaurant, which only a few seconds earlier rang with the sound of laughter and the clink of cutlery.

Febby then rushed to the hotel's lobby, where he met some of the group members, who were also severely injured. They then tried to escape the fire and get help.

They walked outside along the front pathway and headed to the street, their path strewn with body parts and pools of blood, amid the sight of burning cars and wretched cries.

"I saw and even stepped on bodies and limbs. I just couldn't believe it," he recalled.

They walked on before a bus stopped and offered help.

"But it was fully loaded with victims, so we told our injured female staffer to get inside. We decided to wait for another vehicle, hopefully an ambulance, which could take us to a nearby hospital for first aid."

Febby tried ringing home on his cell phone but his mother was out.

"Three of us were then put inside a brand new Toyota X-trail jeep and we lay down on its expensive leather seats. I wonder who the kindhearted owner or driver of the car was. It's rare to see such a generous act in a big city like Jakarta," Febby had told one relative only an hour after the blast.

They were taken to Jakarta Hospital. It was then that he could finally contact his mother, crying as he told her of his injuries.

Stunned at the extent of the burns suffered by her son, Jully Isran said: "If I had the power to change this nightmare, I would be more than ready to take Febby's place and accept all the pain he's suffering. I can't stand to see him in such agony.

"How could such a terrible thing happen to my only son? Why not me?"

Doctors say Febby is lucky to be alive.

"Thirty percent (burns) is already life-threatening," explained Dr. Djoko, a burns specialist at Pertamina Hospital. "But everything will be fine soon as long as Febby keeps up his strength."

He has shown his courage before: He received an award for bravery from the EF International School of English in Santa Barbara, California, for capturing a would-be rapist in 2000.

And the doctor is also trying to fulfill another promise to the young man -- help arrange a modest wedding ceremony for Febby and Sari once he can leave the intensive care unit.

Febby's family was stunned by the doctor's promise.

Via the intercom, a smiling Febby told his mother: "Yes, I told Dr. Djoko the story and asked for his help to fulfill my dream."