During October 2011, Mounir, back then 14 years old, was preparing to celebrate his birthday at Raúl di Blasio’s Concert in Beirut. Few days before the concert, Mounir wasn’t feeling well; so his parents took him to the hospital where they found out that his immunity was low and he had to be admitted to the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) after being diagnosed with Leukemia; which caused him to miss attending the long awaited concert. However, on the day of his polysite insertion surgery at the CCCL, Mounir was happily surprised to know that, after all, his dream will come true and that he will be able to see Raúl di Blasio not only playing, but up close! … because Raúl di Blasio was visiting the CCCL. So, Mounir enjoyed listening to his music and spent some quality time with his favorite pianist before his surgery.
During the years he spent at CCCL, and while taking his treatment, Mounir spent a lot of his time in the music room learning from the center’s music instructor Wael, who is also a CCCL survivor. Mounir’s talent and passion for music were great; so much that he even composed his own music; and his dream had always been to record one of his compositions with a known musician.
With everyone’s support, and after 3 years and a half into his treatment at the CCCL, Mounir not only recovered and is healthier than ever, but he also succeeded his high school degree and graduated from the CCCL after being able to conduct both of his Lebanese official exams, brevet and baccalaureate, at the center with the help of teachers who volunteer and teach the patients. Celebrating his recovery, the CCCL arranged for Mounir to record one of his compositions with famous and loved Lebanese musician Michel Fadel. And to complete the dream, Mounir performed his composition “Path of Hope” at the CCCL’s Dubai Gala Dinner on Thursday October 22, 2015 and at the Beirut Gala Dinner on Thursday December 3, 2015; after sharing his testimony with guests, who were overwhelmed to meet Mounir and enjoy his performance.
