Today marks a year since the deadly Manchester bombings which rocked the whole of Britain and claimed the lives of innocent human beings.
Twenty-two innocent human beings were killed on this day back in 2017 when a fanatic blew himself up by detonating a device during an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester arena. Children and elderly were among the victims.
Still, if Salman Abedi – the 22-year-old Manchester-born bomber – hoped that his dastardly act would force the Mancunians to cower in fear, he failed badly.
Where there were stories of shock, terror, and agony on that day, tales of courage, love, hope, and indomitable spirit have now taken over. So courageous has been the response of Britain that humanity can afford to be proud of it.
And to pay tribute to the victims whose lives were lost that day, we hear a story of a victim who, despite being closest to the bomber when he detonated his device, managed to survive and still has his hope and courage intact.
Martin Hibbert – The Survivor
Martin Hibbert, a football agent belonging to Bolton, was one of those lucky people who, despite standing closest to the bomber, were still able to survive.
He had gone to the concert with his 15-year-old daughter and was one of those people who were leaving it early in a bid to avoid rush hour traffic. Little did he know that heading out early would mean that they would encounter the bomber in the foyer.
It was only a few moments after that the explosion happened.
Hibbert says the moments following the attack felt like ‘’you were in hell’’. He further says that there wasn’t a part of his body that wasn’t bleeding as 22 shrapnel pieces had pierced into him.
As for her daughter which he had brought alongside him, Hibbert remembers her lying a few feet away from him. He further says that it was after 45-minutes that the medics put her on a stretcher and carried her to the hospital. After that, he became unconscious and was taken to Salford Royal Hospital.
He underwent two seven-hour operations where to remove the nuts and bolts from his skin. One bolt, Hibbert remembers, was in his face which he tweezered out and still keeps n a jar to remember himself of his courageous act.
Currently, doctors are of the view that Hibbert may never walk again, whereas his daughter is reduced to a wheel-chair after she had damaged her brain during the incident.
Still, that doesn’t stop Hibbert who says that as a family, they are ‘’refusing to let terrorism win’’.
