Samiha was sat in the women’s section of St Peter’s church in Cairo when the 2017 bomb attack took place.
Upon waking, she found her face wrapped by medical cloths. The doctor asked her: ‘Is your name Samiha Atopi and are you married to Qalini?’ She hadn’t been identified, and had just been given the number 99 before then. No one had recognised her, due to her facial injuries.
No hope?
In the hospital, the doctors didn’t offer much hope. Her husband was told she wouldn’t survive. The attack claimed 27 lives, and it left Samiha with only half a face.
