One Summer's evening in July 2005, a turning-point occurred and changed my life dramatically. At that time, I was 17 years old pursuing my final year in high school, and like anyone at that age, I was active person full of energy and dreams. I never thought that a life-changing accident would happen during that peaceful evening.
I slipped and fell from the fifth-floor balcony of the building where I was living in Aleppo city in Syria.
Fortunately, I fell on a metal water tank and my head had no injury. However, the fall caused a spinal cord injury due to vertebral fractures in my spine. In addition to other fractures in the pelvic bone, feet and upper arm.
Immediately, my neighbor and brother called the emergency and fixed me on a wood strip to prevent any movement that could make the injury more severe. I was transported to the hospital and I stayed one month in the intensive care unit with a ventilator. My relatives and friends rushed to the hospital to donate their blood. It was such a critical situation and the doctors were saying that I might not survive. I had many operations to save my life and to fix my spine and the fractures. I was totally unconscious during the first two weeks and the moment I awoke, I couldn’t remember what happened to me and how, and till now I can’t remember anything of the first moments of the accident and how it happened. That seems weird but similar cases have shown inability to remember important aspects of the trauma after such accidents.
When I woke up, I thought that It was just some fractures, but when I touched my leg I realized that It’s a bad one. I was diagnosed with a complete spinal cord injury and I became paralyzed from the waist down. I lost the sensation in the lower part of my body and I wasn’t able to move my lower limbs or feet. I had to find another way for mobility and tolerate a lot of pain for the rest of my life. I had to seek assistance from other people to do the same things I used to do by myself, even the very simple things.
Living my life as a paraplegic had been the farthest thing from my mind at that age. I couldn’t believe that at the beginning, and I couldn’t imagine myself sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.
I was really in a bad situation, comparing how my life was and how it became. I was at sometimes hopeless and desperate. I had to deal with two kinds of pain: physical and psychological.
After two months of the accident, I started my journey in recovery and rehabilitation. I received a lot of support and care from my family, relatives and close friends. They really helped me and raised my spirit.
So, I started to think positively and accepted my new situation completely. I didn’t want one incident to kill my dreams.
The accident could have been worse. I’m lucky to be alive! It’s a valuable gift from Allah.
By having a strong will and faith in my destiny in this life, I believed that my life should continue. Always and in all ways, when there’s a will there’s a way. So, I wanted to do something developmental. I started an intensive rehabilitation and physiotherapy program. And after six months I regained some motion in my left leg and I was able to stand and walk few steps using a walker. The moment I stood was so exciting, I felt so much hope and trust.
The first year of the accident was not easy at all. It was the longest year I’ve ever had. It was full of challenges, fears, courage and hope. In fact, rebuilding my life after spinal cord injury was a long, arduous process with many bumps in the road that most people cannot even fathom.
After one year of intensive physiotherapy, I learned a lot of skills and exercises that helped me to be as independent as possible.
From using the wheelchair to being able to walk by forearm crutches.
It was noticeable and promising improvement. I never lost my hope and I always imagine that one day I will walk and run as before.
Back to the life
Keeping a positive mind-frame as I learned to embrace the new life God had granted me.
I really wanted to be a motivation and inspiration for other people who have a disability.
I decided to complete my studies at home. I successfully passed all my exams and graduated from high school with a GPA of 92 %. It was my first success after the injury that gave me a lot of motivation and hope that I can do more.
The next step was when I went to the university. I decided to study biotechnology because I developed an interest in medicine and life sciences.
I found in this field a hope that could help to find a cure for many people who suffer from different diseases like cancer, neurological disorders.
I have a dream to make a change and participate in research to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
The first day I went to the university was so challenging and daunting. It was the first time I met new people with my new situation. Many fears and worries came to my mind at that day.
There was not an elevator in the building where I take lectures and the accessibility in the university campus was really bad.
I had to deal with many stairs every time I go for a lecture or lab! And I could not concentrate on my studies. It was so difficult and tiring in the beginning and sometimes I felt frustrated and discouraged. However, I met very nice classmates who helped me a lot and encouraged me. We became close friends over a five years in the school. I was so blessed to have such great friends and classmates. That helped me to ease my sufferings and cope with my everyday life with courage, confidence and hope. During the five years in the university, I gained a lot of experiences and skills that helped me grow into a confident young person who lives life to the full. I was successful in my studies and I built very good relationships with my friends, teachers and professors. I graduated in 2012 with a very good GPA and my dreams became bigger and bigger.
Along with my studies, I joined the Cultural Forum for People with Disabilities in Syria and I participated in many workshops about disability issues in the society. I met inspirational people who have different kind of disabilities. They inspired me a lot and we shared many thoughts and ideas about our lives in Syria where the situation of people with disabilities are not as good as in the western world.
When I graduated in July 2012, my country was battling with a bloody war, and the situation in my city was getting worse day after day.
The Syrian regime escalated its war against the Syrian people who started their peaceful revolution in March 2011 seeking for freedom, dignity and social justice. I forced to fled my neighborhood due to shelling and clashes between the regime forces and the rebels.
I left my home under shelling from warplanes.
It was a horrible moment! I took some clothes, my documents and certificates which are the most valuable things that I have. I thought that I can come back after a few days, but I could not!
I lost my house and all the memories and properties in it.
I didn’t just lose my properties, I also lost the connection with my friends and neighbors without any way of communication or internet access at that time. I felt so sad, depressed and isolated.
Once a successful graduate with big dreams and motivations, my family and I turned into one of the millions of Syrian refugees seeking for a safe place to stay.
The war forced me and my mother to fled Syria to Dubai where my brother lives. It was so sad to have such feelings and to leave my country in such horrible situation. In Dubai, I started to think forward and begin my life away from the war and its horrible news, with a hope to come back later and contribute in the reconstruction process of my country. Therefore, I decided to follow my dreams and continue my higher education with a strong determination and enthusiasm.
I started to prepare myself for this goal by improving my English language skills and I took the IELTS test, which was one of the main requirements for university admission process. Since I was a student in my bachelor, I was always on the look out to pursue a master degree abroad. However, the only way to achieve this goal was by applying for a scholarship due to the high cost of tuition fees and living expenses that I couldn’t afford.
While I was searching the web for scholarships and master programmes, a friend of mine who lives in Sweden told me about Swedish Institute Scholarship and she encouraged me to apply for it to study in Sweden. Enthusiastically, I applied to the master programme in Biotechnology at the Faculty of Engineering in Lund University, which was such a dream for me. I knew about Lund from a friend of mine who got a scholarship to study Information Systems in Lund in 2011, and since then I put Lund in my mind.
Two months after submitting my application, my dream has come true and I was one of three Syrian students who won the SI Study Scholarship.
I was extremely happy when I saw my name in the list. It was really a life-changing event and a big step towards achieving my dreams despite of all the obstacles and the painful situation in my country.
My new life in Sweden
In mid of August 2013, I arrived the beautiful city of Lund and I started a beautiful and exciting journey in a peaceful country that has a long tradition in research, innovation and openness. My arrival in Lund was so exciting in many ways.
My programme coordinator met me at the Central Station with a warm welcome.
She helped me with my luggage and took me with her car to the student accommodation. My first impression of Lund was so positive and beautiful as I expected. The city is quite small, very accessible and friendly with bikes everywhere.
During the orientation programme, I was impressed by the international nature of the different master programmes. I met international students with diverse cultures and religions from all over the world. And I felt so excited to know about other student’s cultures and share with them interesting talks and experiences about our new lives in Sweden. It was really beautiful and memorable moments.
My first day in class was on 2nd September 2013, I met my coordinator and classmates and we got to know each other. My class was truly international with students from different parts of the world. My programme was obviously well-organised and the academic system was very structured and based on research and innovation. I felt honored being lectured by some of the best lecturers in my field worldwide. And I developed many academic and personal skills through critical thinking, group projects and active discussions.
Currently, I’m in my last semester doing my master thesis research at the department of molecular biology in Lund. And at the same time, applying for job vacancies or PhD positions. I gained a lot of valuable skills and experiences in many aspects of my life that makes me realize and believe that I can go further in my career.
Apart from my studies, my life was not easy at the beginning for many reasons. It was the first time for me to live and do everything independently, like cooking, cleaning and laundry. Sometimes, I felt lonely and depressed, especially in the long dark winter. However, I successfully managed to overcome all of the problems that I have faced. And by the time, I got used to the weather and the new way of life in Sweden. Furthermore, being involved in many student activities and social events was the best way to avoid any depression or loneliness.
Unlike many developing countries, Sweden has one of the best disability policies in the world that provides assistance and social care for people with physical impairments in order to make their lives easier and more independent.
So, I have homecare service for cleaning my room on weekly basis. That really made my life so much easier.
Besides my studies, I have been involved in NFGL community - Network for Future Global Leaders - which brings together all Swedish Institute scholarship holders from all over the world to share personal and professional experiences, and also to organize different events that cover many topics such as sustainability, innovation, human rights and entrepreneurship. As a part of this community, I really feel happy to share my story and talk about my beautiful journey in this life.
Every time I talk to my friends in Syria or in refugee life I say to them:
“Don’t give up! It is never too late to start again. Someday, the war will end, and we will come back to rebuild our homes and to contribute to the reconstruction process in Syria”
Therefore, we need to improve our knowledge and learn new skills, and this could only be achieved through continuing education. We can take advantage of many scholarship programmes that are available for Syrian students, or even through online courses that are available for free.
Finally, I just want to thank from deep of my heart Sweden and the Swedish Institute for all their unlimited support and for this memorable and life-changing experience that made me more confident and independent. After around 10 years of the accident, I would say that when a big change occurs in our life it forces us to change direction. Sometimes the new path may not be easy, but we can be absolutely certain that there is magnificence for us on the new path. We can be absolutely certain that the new path contains things that we could not have experienced otherwise.
Personally, when I look back at a negative event that occurred in the past, I often see how in fact it transformed my life.
I see how that event directed me toward a life that I would not change for anything.
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