Dr. Nicolas Zouain thought a vacation in his homeland would be filled with visits to the beach and good food.
But within days after arriving in Lebanon, the radiation oncologist with Fargo's MeritCare Roger Maris Cancer Center was surrounded by war.
"You could see military planes and bombings all over the place," he said Wednesday, less than a day after returning to Fargo. "We were set on a bit of paradise, but it became kind of a nightmare."
The Fargo doctor arrived in Lebanon, where he was born, on July 7 for a two-week vacation with friends and a reunion with his sisters and their families, who live in Paris.
He planned to stay at a beach resort and rented a convertible.
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Days later, members of Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid, which started the most recent Middle Eastern conflict.
The oncologist assumed things would return to normal within a day or two, but it didn't. Airports and seaports closed because of the bombing. Travel by road was dangerous where possible. Zouain e-mailed MeritCare staff to let them know he was trapped.
"It was like reading a novel," said Dr. John Leitch, executive partner of the cancer center. "From our perspective, it was a nightmare, too."
MeritCare contacted the office of Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., to find ways to bring Zouain home. Not only were they worried about the doctor's safety, but he also provides critical treatment to cancer patients.
The call triggered a flurry of correspondence between the senator, the U.S. government, and ambassadors from Norway and Canada. Zouain practices at MeritCare on a visa waiver and is a permanent resident of Canada.
Meanwhile, Zouain faced chaos as thousands of visitors to Lebanon tried to flee. He tried to evacuate a couple of times, but couldn't.
To pass the time, he volunteered with the Red Cross and entered some of the riskier Muslim neighborhoods to offer medical services.
"I didn't think about my safety," he said. "When you are there, people are crying, wounded and in need of help. You feel like you cannot do much."
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On Sunday, Zouain received permission to board a U.S.-chartered cruise ship to Cyprus. He flew to Philadelphia a day later and then caught a flight to Fargo.
He arrived home Tuesday evening. By 7 a.m. Wednesday, he was in the operating room treating a patient.
Mixed feelings fill Zouain's heart. He was sad to leave his home country and sad to see the damage, but he felt a call back to Fargo.
"My cancer patients need me here," he said.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Erin Hemme Froslie at (701) 241-5534
