A Heart of Melted Gold

Rana Sharif

February 25th, 2016

Nader organized a protest during the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the summer of 2014. “The passion for

his preachings for innocent Palestinian civilians lit up the entire street and opened the eyes of many as to

what was going on in the Middle East,” his brother Fadi Quad says. (Photo by Katie Huerter).

A tragic story of a former alumnus

Gripping a tray of freshly homemade Arabic tea, Izdehar Qaud proceeded into the living room to entertain her

friends. Slowly setting it on the table, Izdehar began to feel an unexplainable ache trembling down her back

and shoulders. It was as if someone was abruptly yanking her from behind. Straightening her posture, Izdehar

regained her strength, only to lose it several seconds later. Before she knew it, she landed face down on the

carpet confused as ever.

“Why did you push me?!” Izdehar asked looking behind her only to find no one there. Each person stopped

mid-conversation, turned heads, and exchanged worried glances.

Izdehar stood up and focused on her balance until her body felt completely normal. Ignoring the mishap, she

grabbed her phone.

9:17 pm.

A little less than three hours until a brand new year full of excitement and joy. Or so she thought.

——————————

Walking downstairs, the familiar aroma of traditional Arabic coffee filled her new home. It woke her up

instantly. After exchanging good mornings with her husband, Akram, she checked her iPhone and frowned.

Not one missed call or text from her oldest son Nader. In most cases, parents would not fret about not hearing

from their child, especially on New Year’s, but Nader was different.

“He was an open book. From the minute he woke up to when he went to sleep, Nader shared every detail with

me,” Izdehar recalls. “Our bond only grew stronger ever since his move to Chicago.”

The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was her brother-in-law from Chicago, wondering why Nader did

not show up to their house the previous night.

Worriedly, she called a close friend of his.

Nader looked after his family and friends. “Nader was an amazing listener,” his mother says. “He always

gave the best advice.” (Photo from Sarah Quad)

“No, no… don’t worry. He went out with his friends last night. Everything’s fine,” Nader’s friend Tamer

Refaie said.

Moments later, before getting the chance to sigh in relief, Izdehar noticed a panicked look on Akram’s face

while talking on his phone.

“Something’s wrong with Nader. We need to leave for Chicago. Now,” Akram said with a demanding look on

his face.

Unable to speak, she sprinted up the stairs skipping two at a time and quickly threw a few outfits into her bag.

Her children Sarah, Leen and Fadi followed her lead.

After arriving to the airport with tickets firmly held in hand, the family scurried to board their plane. Each

family member sat in distress and confusion.

Silence.

Izdehar’s body trembled with anxiety as the plane landed safely. She hastily unfastened her seatbelt and made

her way out, along with the rest of the family. She clutched on her oldest daughter Sarah’s hand as tightly as

possible for comfort. The heavy colossal door opened to reveal many relatives lined up outside the gate. From

in-laws to cousins and friends, they all seemed to show the same sorrowful and sympathetic look on their face.

No words had to be said. No explaining had to be made. In that moment, her worst fear became a reality.

Izdehar’s oldest son Nader had passed away at the age of 22. Just ten short days before his birthday.

“We were all just in shock. Nader was so peaceful. He always took care of himself and never struggled with

stress or anger. His death was so sudden,” younger brother Fadi says.

No matter where Nader went, he was admired and adored by people. His chocolate brown eyes and contagious

laughter charmed others.

“Nader was an amazing listener. He always gave the best advice and offered help to those in need. The amount

of respect he had for everyone was inspiring,” Izdehar says.

Not only was Nader well-mannered, he was also hardworking and optimistic. Nader saved up his hard-earned

money to travel to Jordan with his uncle at the age of seven.

Most kids would pick Disney World or Oceans of Fun, but Nader’s love and devotion for the Middle East

began at a young age.

Nader (in the Millard West auditorium lobby) was recognized for his accomplishments throughout his high

school career at Honors Night. (Photo provided by Izdehar Qaud.)

“He would also constantly talk about pursuing a career in dentistry to perfect everyone’s smiles, especially

those who couldn’t afford it,” Izdehar recalls.

Nader made an attempt to visit his homeland Palestine when he was 20, but was prohibited, due to the

Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

After a long day of mourning, the result of the autopsy came back.

Tears filled Izdehar’s big brown eyes as she read the time of death.

9:14 pm.

“It wasn’t the cause of death, a heart attack, that saddened me the most,” Izdehar says. “It was the way I could

feel him dying, through an internal pain the previous night before. I think it was God’s way of connecting

Nader and me one last time.”

According to the American Heart Association, 11.9 percent of men between the ages of 20-39 have had a heart

attack.

Nader’s wisdom and kind-hearted spirit still lives on.

“Nader had the ability to lift anyone’s day. Not only did he excel in school by receiving outstanding grades, he

was well-spoken and empathetic. The kid had a good heart,” former homeroom teacher Bob Meeker says.

Nader also played soccer for select teams growing up and for Millard West. After graduating high school, he

studied at the University of Omaha for a while, then moved to Chicago to continue on there.

“He loved Chicago more than anything. The majority of our family lives there so Nader didn’t have any

difficulty adjusting, and felt that it was his home away from home,” Fadi says.

Aside from succeeding in school, Nader invested a large amount of time to Palestine. From organizing protests

to giving public speeches, he did anything to spread awareness of innocent civilians tormented during the

never-ending conflict in Palestine. Whether he was in Omaha or Chicago, he wanted his voice to be heard.

Nader graduated from Millard West in 2011 with exemplary grades. As a light-hearted joke, Nader placed

his cap on his mother’s head. (Photo provided by Akram Qaud)

Friends and family from all over traveled to Chicago for his funeral.

“The funeral was extremely difficult on all of us. We all tried to comfort each other, but all of us were in need

of comforting too,” his cousin Mai Qaud says.

As the service came to an end, it was time for the official goodbye.

“When I saw his lifeless body lying there, all my weakness and heartache began to disappear… His beautiful

pale skin was glowing and I saw just how beautiful my son really was, which strengthened me and kept me

together,” Izdehar recalls.

After spending a week with relatives in a time of solace, the family departed back to Omaha.

As hard as it was, Izdehar finally began to get back into the same routine again.

“I know Nader is in a better place now, but I would’ve done anything to hold him in my arms one last time and

thank him for the best 22 years of my life,” Izdehar says.

*published in print on 2/11, updated for online on 2/25