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| Down Under |
| Blind Wood battles the legacy of captivity |
| 2005-08-12 |
| Brave man. What's happened to him is a damn shame! OT, I remember reading some moderate muslims(Tm) on their main french forum joking about his "new haircut", when his head was shaven, and saying how he was soon to be shaven "even closer" (ie decapitated, insh allah). Of course, the thread was killed by mods, but it's good to know what the pious followers of the Master Religion are thinking about western hostages... empathy doesn't seem to be their strong suit. Douglas Wood, the Australian held captive in Iraq for 47 days, is now virtually blind and suffering rheumatoid arthritis. Mr Wood has no peripheral vision and no near sight partly because his kidnappers did not treat his diabetes and glaucoma, The Age has reported. Iraqi soldiers freed the engineer, 64, on June 15 after he had been held hostage in Baghdad by a group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq. "He can barely walk up stairs," a family spokesman said. In June, Mr Wood said his eyesight was poor due to the malnutrition he suffered while in captivity and the side-effects from heavy doses of steroids for his rheumatoid arthritis. His spokesman said he went without his medication during his time in captivity and was given only bread and water. "He has no peripheral vision at all and cannot see a hand under his nose," he said. "He needs to be guided and he is also walking extremely slowly as a result of the arthritis." However, he stressed not all of the deterioration was the result of the kidnapping The spokesman said Mr Wood was coping well. "He hasn't crashed and burned. He is very buoyant with a great coping mechanism and he has not wanted to bleat publicly about his health. He doesn't complain about anything. "His wife has been terrific, she's the ultimate carer. She really looks after him." Mr Wood and his American wife, Yvonne, are in the US but plan to return Australia shortly and set up home in Melbourne after Mr Wood's step-daughter's graduation ceremony in the US. Because of Mr Wood's ill health the couple wanted to live close to public transport and they have leased an apartment in Melbourne's inner-city. The spokesman said Mr Wood had a strong character and a prodigious memory for detail that helped him during his time in captivity. "He's not just a beer-swilling larrikin - that's just part of his persona," he said. Mr Wood, who has been reissued with a Medicare card, still hopes to tell his story on the speaking circuit and he has said that he is keen to open an Australian pub. He previously ran a pub while he was living in California. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #2 That could be the reason why he is having a bad year on the links. |
| Posted by: hey mo 2005-08-12 15:25 |
| #1 Yes, but was his Koran abused? That's the important thing... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-08-12 11:17 |