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Lebanese singer Elissa reveals battle with breast cancer in music video

Lebanese superstar Elissa revealed her battle with breast cancer in an emotional music video for her latest single, “Ila Kol Elli Bihebbouni,” or “For All Those Who Love Me.”

Elissa shared parts of her journey in the 7-minute video, published by Arab record label Rotana.

The video starts with a clip of Elissa undergoing an MRI scan in December 2017.

“You know that moment when you wonder, ‘Will I ever see the people I love again? Those who love me back?'” she said.

The chilling narration shows the incredible courage of the 46-year-old singer, who still hosted performances during her battle with breast cancer.

WATCH: Elissa reveals battle with breast cancer in emotional music video:

“I do my radiotherapy session, I got to the studio, I finish another session,” Elissa recalled. “I rest for two hours, and go to the studio again. Once a week, I was going live on TV.”

The music video is the first time Elissa revealed her battle with cancer to fans.

The music video begins with video of Elissa undergoing an MRI scan. (Rotana)
The music video begins with video of Elissa undergoing an MRI scan. (Rotana)

“I’ve recovered, I’ve beaten the illness and I won,” she said. “Early detection of breast cancer can save your life.”

RELATED: WATCH: Elissa music video hits 3 million views in first week

On Instagram, the superstar said she wanted the video to be an inspirational message that cancer can be fought.

“This music video shouldn’t make you cry. It’s a reason to smile, be happy, and grateful,” she said. “We can fight cancer if we know about it in early stages. I love you all.”

Elissa, whose real name is Elissar Zakaria Khoury, is a popular Lebanese recording artist, and the first Lebanese singer to receive the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist in 2006.

She has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

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 Lifestyle

Sleepless in Beirut: Study shows 40% of the city sleeps less than six hours

A sleep expert at the American University of Beirut Medical Center estimates that nearly 40 percent of the 2 million people living in Beirut sleep less than six hours every night.

While this is common in other Arab countries, associate professor Hassan Chami says this could be more common in Beirut than any other place in the region.

“I have good evidence based on my surveys that about 40 percent of Beirutis sleep less than six hours, which is a shocking number,” Chami said.

RELATED: Lebanon: ‘Best party place,’ says guy who visited every country

Chami believes these numbers are problematic and can lead to sleep deficiency. He believes the sleep deficiency among Beirut residents is approximately one third higher than the rate in the United States.

Lebanon has one of the most active nightlife activities in the region (POSH Club Beirut)
Lebanon has one of the most active nightlife activities in the region (POSH Club Beirut)

Sleep specialist and researcher Neil Stanley said the number of people who are short on sleep is high, and it’s a problem.

“In the past, people would have taken a siesta (Nap) in the Gulf, which allowed them to stay up at night,” Stanley said. “But that doesn’t happen anymore… People are still living like that but are missing out on the afternoon nap.”

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Lebanese-American cancer doc Farid Fata sentenced to 45 years in prison

(DETROIT, MI) — Lebanese-American cancer doctor Farid Fata will spend 45 years in prison, Judge Paul Borman said on Friday.

Fata was crying in court Friday morning, saying, “I stand before you ashamed of my actions. It all went wrong. I cannot bring back the past.”

“I pray for redemption. I ask the court for mercy,” Fata said.

Evette Aubrey, 84, said she knew Fata from Our Lady of Redemption Church in Warren, Mich., where his children were altar boys. She said she hoped the judge would “take care of him.”

“God bless him. He’s a good man,” Aubrey said.

The judge also ordered Fata to get drug and alcohol treatment for alcohol and prescription drug abuse.

Samar Fata, the wife of Farid Fata and the CFO of his medical operation, has since fled the country to Lebanon with the couple’s three children.

During his week of sentencing, Fata was described as a “cowardly bastard” by former patients, as he sat expressionless watching alleged victims take the stand to describe their medical nightmares.

Fata, 50, has admitted to billing insurers for millions of dollars while misdiagnosing and over-treating cancer patients with chemotherapy and other methods when they didn’t need it.

“Farid Fata: I hate you. You are repulsive. You disgust me. You are a monster. You are evil,” said Laura Stedtfeld, who took the stand and accused him of murdering her father, Piero Zanotti, who died in 2014.

“Clearly you are a coward because you can’t even look at me right now,” she said. “You murdered my dad. You poisoned, tortured and murdered my dad.”

Fata pleaded guilty last September to 13 counts of health care fraud, two money laundering counts, and one count of conspiracy to pay or receive kickbacks.

According to the government, Fata had a patient load of 1,200 people and received $62 million from Medicare. He billed for more than $150 million.

“(The fraud) hasn’t happened on a scale like this before anywhere,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Resnick Cohen, who called Fata’s actions “heinous and sadistically cruel.”

Fata has lived in Michigan for 10 years and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009. He graduated from the Lebanese University in 1992 and completed his Internal Medicine Residency in Brooklyn, NY in 1996.

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Lebanese-American cancer doctor Farid Fata faces victims as sentencing begins

(DETROIT, MI) — Lebanese-American cancer doctor Farid Fata was described as a “cowardly bastard” during his second day of sentencing on Tuesday, as he sat expressionless watching his former patients take the stand to describe their medical nightmares.

Fata has admitted to billing insurers for millions of dollars while misdiagnosing and over-treating cancer patients with chemotherapy and other methods when they didn’t need it.

“Farid Fata: I hate you. You are repulsive. You disgust me. You are a monster. You are evil,” said Laura Stedtfeld, who took the stand and accused him of murdering her father, Piero Zanotti, who died in 2014.

“Clearly you are a coward because you can’t even look at me right now,” she said. “You murdered my dad. You poisoned, tortured and murdered my dad.”

Fata pleaded guilty last September to 13 counts of health care fraud, two money laundering counts, and one count of conspiracy to pay or receive kickbacks. His attorneys have asked Judge Paul Borman to sentence him to no more than 25 years in prison.

But prosecutors are seeking a 175-year prison sentence, likening Fata to Ponzi scammer Bernie Madoff and accusing him of bullying patients into dangerous treatments to pay for an opulent lifestyle.

The government has also asked Borman to order the doctor to pay back $17.6 million paid by Medicare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan for fraudulent treatments.

Fata has not testified, but his lawyers have filed a sentencing memo that remains under seal.

According to the government, Fata had a patient load of 1,200 people and received $62 million from Medicare. He billed for more than $150 million.

Fata has lived in Michigan for 10 years and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009.

A decision could come by Friday.

WATCH: Dr. Farid Fata falsely diagnosed Patricia Hester with cancer, giving her medication she never even needed.

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Abu Faour shuts down over 100 unlicensed nurseries

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese Minister of Health Wael Abu Faour called for the immediate closure of 120 nurseries in Lebanon for violating licensing laws in Lebanon, and operating their businesses illegally.

Abu Faour ordered the immediate closure of the nurseries during a recent press conference, amid ongoing controversy following the deaths of two babies in Lebanon.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, Abu Faour said that “two thirds of nurseries in Lebanon are not licensed.”

“We are facing a crisis in the ethics, not just in law, in nurseries,” the health minister said. “It’s like we’re living in a jungle. This is considered an act of rebellion against the law and the government.”

Abu Faour said his staff conducted an investigation of 304 daycare centers in all regions of Lebanon. Initial inspection showed that 205 of the 304 centers were operating without licenses.

But Abu Faour announced that 85 of them have applied and obtained licenses since the investigation. The remainder will face immediate closure and legal ramifications.

“But after what happened at two nurseries in the past weeks, we have decided to shut down all 120 unlicensed nurseries until they meet the necessary health standards,” he said.

Abu Faour’s decision comes a few days after Clarinette et Zoe Nursery in Aajaltoun was shut down after a four-month-old died at the facility.

The minister urged parents to inquire about any nursery and check whether it responds to law conditions before enrolling their children.

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Lebanese-American named dean of Central Michigan University College of Medicine

(MT. PLEASANT, MI) — Prominent Lebanese-American doctor George Kikano was named the new dean of Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine on Feb. 24.

Kikano replaces Ernie Yoder, who announced his resignation in June. He comes from Cleveland, Ohio, where he previously served as the director of the Weatherhead Institute for Family Medicine and Community Health.

He was also the medical director for Home Care Services with University Hospitals in Cleveland and a professor of family medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

Kikano is recognized as one of Cleveland’s “Top Docs” who appears frequently on national television to discuss nationwide medical concerns. In 2013, Kikano made headlines when he told Fox News that Apple iOS 7 could make people have “headaches and nausea.”

Kikano earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut in 1986. He started at Case Western Reserve University in 1987 as a research fellow and performed his family medicine residency with University Hospitals of Cleveland.

In 1992, he served as the associate residency director of the university, and  in a number of other roles before becoming chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Case Western in 2001.

Kikano starts at CMU on April 1. He will be paid an annual salary of $500,000.

“You have something good going on here at CMU,” Kikano said in a statement. “The mission is a core value that should not be changed, should not be altered. Anything we do here, whether it is education, clinical research, basic science research, investing in facilities or investing in programs — that core mission will guide us.”

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Lebanese-American doctor saves Michigan man’s life

(SAGINAW, MI) — Lebanese-American neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Adel saved a Michigan man’s life after using a new scanner to reverse the symptoms of a stroke.

Adel, who works at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Saginaw, Mich., said Doug Sands was taken to a local medical center near his home, but it didn’t have the necessary technology he needed to survive.

Sands was then rushed 45 miles away from his home to St. Mary’s of Michigan Medical Center, where he was treated by Adel.

When Sands arrived, the left side of his  body was paralyzed and he couldn’t speak, according to a medical report.

But Adel used a new scanner to pinpoint a clot in his neck and head, which prompted an urgent surgery to remove the clots.

Adel said the new scanner saved Sands’ life.

“Our success rate was 50 percent initially,” Adel told WNEM-TV. “Now, with the recent technology that we have, it’s up to 70, even 80 percent chance of being able to open the blood vessels.”

Adel added that modern medical technology can reverse stroke symptoms within six hours after they first develop.

Sands says he’s thankful for Adel’s quick-thinking.

“It’s hard to put into words, without him I might still be laying here not being able to talk,” he said.

Adel has completed fellowship training in cerebrovascular, endovascular, and skull base surgery.

He earned his medical degree from American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon and completed a residency in neurological surgery at Northwestern University in Chicago, according to his online biography.

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Lebanese doctors angry with Abu Faour; filing complaint

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The Lebanese Order of Physicians announced it was filing a complaint against Health Minister Wael Abu Faour, after the minister called for investigations into medical errors committed at Lebanese hospitals and medical clinics.

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Boustany is the head of the Order of Physicians. (Photo © MTV)

Antoine Boustany, head of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, said they would file an “urgent complaint” with the Shura council.

“Our intention is to disrupt the implementation of the minister’s decision,” he said.

Abu Faour criticized the Order of Physicians for failing to take disciplinary actions against doctors who committed medical mistakes. He called on the prosecutor general to investigate medical complaints, after the Order of Physicians failed to take action.

But Boustany says Abu Faour’s criticism is a deliberate attack on doctors and his actions are that of “arbitrary injustice.”

Boustany added that the latest complaint would be a “first step” and called on other doctors to “resort to more escalatory measures.”

Abu Faour has been called a ‘reformist’ after launching strict and comprehensive investigations into restaurants, hospitals, butcheries, factories, supermarkets, medical clinics, and other establishments.

On Wednesday, the minister warned that if food shops or factories that are ordered to shut down don’t comply with health ministry standards, security forces would raid their shop and force a shut down.

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Lebanese woman dies after being turned away by three hospitals

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — A Lebanese woman died on Saturday after she was denied admission by three hospitals, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

“Amira Al-Akoumi arrived deceased this evening to the As-Salam Hospital in al-Qoubaiyat” in the northern Akkar district, the ministry announced.

Al-Akoumi reportedly visited Al-Youssef, Rahal, and government-run Abdullah Al-Rassi hospitals where she was denied treatment.

“The ministry acted immediately and summoned the owners of the four hospitals for an interrogation at the ministry’s building on Monday morning,” the ministry said. “They were asked to submit reports on how they dealt with Akoumi.”

Health Minister Wael Abu Faour called her death “inappropriate” and ordered an urgent investigation.

This comes after Abu Faour launched an investigation into the death of Louisette Mansour, who also died after being denied admission by several hospitals.

“I am committed to securing the right of all citizens to hospitalization while preserving their dignity, without them having to wait for their fate at the doors of the hospitals,” he said.

Abu Faour says hospitals who deny admission based on financial situations will face consequences by the Health Ministry.

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Abu Faour to close 8 labs, 3 plastic surgery clinics

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese Health Minister Wael Abu Faour announced the closure of eight health labs and three plastic clinics on Thursday for a failure to abide by health and legal obligations.

Abu Faour said the health labs were primarily “blood sample collection centers” and the registered physicians were not present during patient visits.

Lebanon requires centers to have valid licenses and full-time specialized doctors working in the establishment at all times.

The absent physicians were identified as Dr. Hassan Haidar in Saksakiye, Bassam Shoeib in Choueifat, George al-Baino in Taalbaya, and Qassem Salim in Sarafand.

The other four registered “doctors” were actually pharmacists, according to Abu Faour.

The lab owners were identified as Hussein Khalifeh, Joseph Najjar, Ricardo Sarraf, and Imad al-Afash.

Abu Faour also contacted south Lebanon’s governor with a request to shut down three plastic surgery clinics, for several “health-related” violations.

The clinics, which were all in Sidon, include Janin Nassar’s Center, Silkor Laser Medical Center, and Seif Beauty Clinic.

The minister said the clinics would be shut down for a renewable two week period, until the center could report proper health conditions.

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