Bosnia’s ‘Oxygen Man’ brings cheer, and supplies, to COVID-19 patients

Miralem Sabic Mika, known as the “Oxygen Man” in his native town of Konjic, has become a local hero for helping coronavirus patients breathe easier and comforting them with warm words and laughter.

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Sabic, a 57-year-old war veteran, drives his old van to the capital Sarajevo around 38 miles (61 km) to the northeast almost every day to refill oxygen tanks for patients in need.

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When he returns to Konjic, he carries them to the upper floors of an improvised COVID-19 clinic which does not have an elevator.

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“Mika is a hero. He comes each time we call him, though it’s not his job,” said Mirza Gacanin, a leading physician in the isolation facility set up in an old motel on the edge of the picturesque southern town.

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Sabic, who works as a heating engineer in a local hospital, said he felt compelled to help because “Konjic is a small town and the patients are our neighbours and friends.” His involvement began when COVID-19 infections in Konjic started to rise but there was not enough oxygen for patients.

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“Our supplier in Sarajevo was not able to transport the tanks as often as needed, so I started to go and collect them with my own van,” said Sabic.

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Despite shrapnel lodged in his lungs from a grenade explosion during the Balkans wars in which he fought, he happily carries patients on his back up and down the stairs for X-rays, and jokes about their weight.

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Patients appreciate his light-hearted manner, a welcome relief from isolation and sickness.

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“Meeting Mika is more healing than the oxygen he carries – because you see a human, he smiles at you and asks if you are okay, and makes jokes,” said Dina Alic, a patient who recovered from COVID-19 after spending weeks in the centre.

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“There is no word to describe the love he gives – it’s a miracle,” said Alic, a women’s rights activist who posted comments about him and the medical staff on Facebook during her stay in the hospital, turning him into a local celebrity.

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Bosnia on Monday reported that its total number of coronavirus cases had reached 87,901, with 2,681 deaths and 32,451 active cases.