The Moroccan embassy in Paris received the child Nizar Talbi, who has been receiving treatment in France since 2020 due to a rare disease, as a hero of daily resilience. The 12-year-old child did not hide his emotion upon experiencing a part of the atmosphere of the homeland where he was born.
During a ceremony held in his honor, attended by his mother who accompanies him on this long and difficult journey to confront the disease, the attendees were deeply moved, whether those hearing his story for the first time or those who have closely followed this impactful human experience, especially the medical team overseeing his case.
The emotion peaked when the boy, who dreams of one day returning to Morocco to work in the police force, received a present from the General Directorate of National Security, consisting of a national police uniform tailored to him, presented by the Kingdom’s ambassador to France, Samira Seatail.
Seatail stated in a comment to the Moroccan News Agency, “Nizar is a child we all wish to embrace and support in his journey and struggle against the disease, as he suffers from an extremely rare illness.”
She also praised the dedication of his parents, who have never given up in enabling him to receive the best treatment options, particularly commending the courage of his mother, whom she referred to as a “hero,” having come to France to accompany her son who has been suffering physically since his birth on January 21, 2014, in Marrakech.
Since he was seven months old, Nizar has faced a serious and rare digestive disease, necessitating special medical care and long months of hospitalization in Morocco, before being transferred to the Necker-Children’s Hospital in Paris, and then to the Margency Children’s Hospital affiliated with the French Red Cross.
In her presentation of Nizar’s case, Isabelle Faron, the chief physician at the Margency Children’s Hospital, explained that the treatments provided at this institution are a continuation of those he received in Morocco and Paris, for this rare disease that originates at the genetic cellular level and can affect several organs.
The speaker, who represented the institution during this event alongside the hospital director Fatima Ouadghiri, added, “We continued to provide medical care for him while enabling him to live a normal life, which means continuing his education and participating in various activities that any child needs.”
Following her meeting with the ambassador, the child’s mother expressed her deep emotion at the warm welcome they received at the Moroccan embassy in Paris, expressing her gratitude to all the parties that contributed to improving her son’s health condition and continued support, particularly the members of the National Association for Social Work for National Police Employees and the French Ministry of the Interior.
For her part, the deputy president of the association, Samira Bilwa, explained that her meeting with Nizar sparked a pioneering initiative from the association “targeting children suffering from serious illnesses residing in hospitals to give them a moment of connection, what we call a ‘bubble of air’, and to provide them with gifts if possible, but the most important thing is to create a bond between the police and the community.”
She added, in a statement to the Moroccan News Agency, that the association has been organizing the “17.17” initiative throughout various regions in France since 2020, in reference to the emergency police number, indicating that “following the meeting with Nizar, it was decided to expand this initiative nationally,” inspired by his wish to become a police officer one day.
She also commended the journey of this child from Morocco, and the courage and resilience he embodies, which is commendable, as well as his maturity in sharing his story.
