' If you want a good friend, then you must be one yourself.' That phrase always sticks in my mind when I remember my best friend Omar.

Omar and I have been friends for over twenty years. We have done everything together since the day Omar moved to Jerusalem with his family. Omar was only eight back then and full of stories. I especially liked the one about how women mysteriously grew babies in their stomach six month after they get married. Two years after that, we became best friends when Omar showed me one of his father's adult magazines. We thought that women were really weird back then. We still share that secret to this day.

Our friendship became much stronger during the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, of the late eighties and early nineties. I will never forget that day in January, of 89. The day when Israeli soldiers shot me as I waited for my sister to finish school in East Jerusalem. A single shot that entered the right side of my head. I remember feeling a sting as the bullet penetrated the skin, seconds before my head exploded in uncontrollable, excruciating pain. My life was never going to be the same after

If I say that I didn't doubt Omar I would be lying. And not only did I doubt him, I doubted my ability to overcome difficulties and above all, I doubted myself. So in the beginning I decided to do what Omar wanted from me for two reasons: I did not want Omar to think that I'm weak and I did not want him to be mad at me. So I did what he asked and faked enthusiasm at times just to give Omar a sense of achievement.

It was rumored twice that I died as I laid in a coma for over two weeks. I later learned that Omar was always there with me as I lay unconscious and unaware of what is taking place in the real world. Omar used to spend his days at school and his nights at my bedside talking and whispering in my ears words of love and encouragement. I can honestly say that I heard what Omar said and it gave me the strength to fight death and beat it.

I can honestly say that if it were not for Omar I would've given up on walking. But Omar would not allow me to have a shred of doubt in regards to my ability to walk. "Be a man." Omar had shouted in my face. "Don't give up and Allah will help you. And I promise to never leave you fight this alone. I promise not to stop this fight until we walk together and run together like we used to do before."

Some common words found in the essay are:
Omar I'm, East Jerusalem, Omar Omar, Don't Allah, , imagine life, ability walk, using crutch, friend happy,
Approximate Word count = 1142
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)