Marriott bomb victim overcomes trauma
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta
For Febby Firmansyah, 27, the biggest fear he has following the JW Marriott Hotel bombing last year is not that of public places, as one might expect, but rather of being hospitalized.
"I now get all nauseous every time I go to a hospital, or even if I'm just near one," Febby told The Jakarta Post.
"I cannot bear remembering how I had to lie helplessly in the hospital bed, with all those tubes sticking out of me, and doctors, nurses and medical equipment all around me."
Febby, a marketing officer with oil and gas supplier PT Dharma Muda Pratama, was attending a lunch meeting with some colleagues in the Sailendra restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel on Aug. 5 when the bomb shattered the front of the 33-story building. Twelve people died and 147 others were injured in the outrage.
After struggling to reach safety through the bodies and the rubble with almost half of his body covered in burns, Febby was then hospitalized in the Pertamina Hospital for three agonizing months in an isolation room.
It was in this room that Febby and Deli Ratnasari exchanged marriage vows, after the original date for the wedding had to be put back due to the tragedy.
But life has moved on, and, in a happy development, the couple are now expecting twins.
"My wife is in her third month of pregnancy," Febby said happily, ignoring the fact that he has to confront his fear of hospitals every time he accompanies his wife for her regular prenatal examinations.
Febby still suffers from a number of physical limitations resulting from his injuries in the blast. He still has to regularly see a physical therapist in an effort to regain the use of his hands, and is waiting for final skin grafts to his arms.
Febby has managed to come to terms with the terrible event, and harbors no thoughts of revenge against the bombers.
"I have no desire for vengeance. What use would that be? It would never make things better, would it?" he said. "The whole event might have bruised and battered me, but it didn't take away my spirit to live."
Febby, however, is still at a loss to understand how the suspects could have believed that their actions were justified by religious teachings, and the fact that many of those who were convicted were given light sentences. Twelve of the 16 convicted defendants received only between 3 and 10 years in prison.
"But I believe God will dispense His justice. I also accept that what happened to me was fate," he said. "I am just grateful that God has given me a second chance."
On Thursday, the survivors of the Marriott bombing held a closed-door gathering at the hotel to mark the tragedy.
The gathering was attended by lawyer and human rights activist Todung Mulya Lubis and poet Taufiq Ismail, who read out a poem to the victims.
During the gathering, they agreed to set up a consultation group for the victims, called "Forum 58" -- the number 58 representing the date of the terrible event.
Besides uniting the Marriott victims, the forum is also intended to function as an emergency help group should any similar disasters occur in the future.