Obituary

Professor Fouad Thakeb

President of AfASLD, President-Elect of IASL

Fouad Thakeb was born in Cairo in 1949 and graduated from Cairo University Medical School with honors in 1972. He was already enthusiastic and full of ambition, when he started as an apprentice of the late Professor Abou Shadi el-Roobi who guided and trained him in endoscopy, gastroenterology and hepatology. The department he worked in specialized in tropical medicine and so naturally chronic liver disease and portal hypertension became an important part of his medical career. He was appointed full Professor of Tropical Medicine, Hepatology and Gastroenterology in 1993.

He became an expert in the fields of portal hypertension, chronic hepatitis B and C. He gave a paper recently in the last IASL biannual meeting in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil that described detection of hepatitis B “in situ” and a study with others to investigate a new “antisense” treatment of chronic hepatitis C. He was also leading an international task force to identify the impact of hepatitis C world wide and genotype 4 in particular in the Middle-East and Africa. He helped to install a gastroenterology and hepatology training center for the Middle-East and Africa in Cairo. He was president of the African Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AfASLD) and Secretary of AMAGE (Africa, Middle-East Association of Gastroenterology).

He had many plans for future studies. He filled everybody around him with enthusiasm and scientific challenge. He encouraged the young and devoted time to them – for old timers like me, he would say “to keep working, thinking and giving is to keep on living leading a useful life”. He was an inspiration to many younger and older people, and he would take on any challenge and was not afraid of defeat. The only fear he ever had was for his beloved family, wonderful supportive wife Randa and his four bright girls [Norhan, Nayyera, Farah and Farida].

He died suddenly in an accident, in a chivalrous way as he saved 6 ladies when an elevator got stuck in between floors in a high rise building then there was no one to help him to escape and fell down to his fate. His death was shocking to all of those who knew how full of life he was and we received many condolence notes from all over the world.

Some of these are quoted below:

“Fouad was a breath of fresh air and seemed to be buoyed up by his many responsibilities. I think that he enjoyed the challenges that were associated with his work. He was always kind to me and went out of his way to make me feel special. I found his enthusiasm to be contagious and I will miss him.” Blaine Hollinger

“This is very terrible news! My thoughts go immediately to his lovely wife and his children”. Jenny Heathcote

“I was extremely saddened by this news. My heart goes out to his
family, colleagues, and many trainees.” Dick Kozarek

“A great loss, he was a sincere friend to many of us in the Arab World and his latest efforts were directed to IASL congress in Cairo 2006.” Samir Haffar

“He has been such an active international gastroenterologist, so easily recognizable and always ready to contribute. This is a great loss to Egyptian gastroenterology and to the World.” Anthony Axon

“We all feel deep grief and sorrow. Really, I don't imagine a meeting, conference or even social occasion without Fouad. What we can do now is to pray for him.” Abdel Hamid Serwah

“I met Fouad and his daughter at Chicago Airport 2 weeks ago and we took the same plane to Frankfurt Airport. Please express my deepest sympathy to his wife and his daughters. Let us pray for the family. I experienced a deep and very “heartful” relationship between father and daughter “ Juergen Hochberger

“Fouad was a man gifted with many talents, sensitive with a fine sense of humor and highly cultivated. He was dedicated to his patients and they liked him as their doctor very much. Moreover he was personally interested in the well being of his friends for whom he cared. His death is a loss for World Gastroenterology.” Meinhard Classen

All his friends and those who knew him miss his driving enthusiasm and scientific ambition.

Our hearts extend condolences to his wife, daughters and family.

Sherif M. Abd El-Fattah Sherif FRCP[ED], FACG

Past President of AfASLD

Copyrights@ 2004 The African Association for The Study of Liver Diseases All rights are reserved.