Meet Bilal Hafeez, a journalist who is raising awareness for cerebral palsy

Thirty five-year-old Bilal Hafeez is a truly extraordinary young man. Having been born with cerebral palsy (CP), a permanent movement disorder marked by impaired muscle coordination, walking and talking can be a challenge for him.

Despite this, the Pakistani national made headlines earlier this year when he, alongside friends Christopher Swaminathan and Brendyn Monsorate (both of whom have Down's syndrome), were employed as paid members of the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 Local Organising Committee. 

This is all, in due part, because of his training at the Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities, where he met Dr Amit Kakkar, Dubai-based media and communications specialist, and was chosen as a part of the UAE's first batch of people of determination who are journalists.

If you're wondering how someone who has trouble communicating could take on such a big role, Bilal embodies the phrase 'where there's a will, there's a way'. "Brendyn and Christopher used to interview special athletes as well as their coaches and record it. Later, I would convert those sound bites into text to publish online as well as in newspapers. During the 12 days of the Special Olympics World Games (SOWG), we filed 20 stories which got published world-wide," says Bilal, who communicates via email, texts and text-to-speech apps.

Other than being a journalist, Bilal also works as a graphics designer at catering company Abela & Co proving that people of determination can play active roles in society. But, of course, that does not mean it comes easily. "When I first found out that cerebral palsy was incurable, I was devastated because I realised I would never experience a second of normal life. It's not easy when you notice people around you achieving their goals and dreams easily while you have to work extremely hard and put in longer hours to achieve the same kind of result - and sometimes even that might not happen," says Bilal.

"But I think time is the best healer," he continues. "As I grew up, I conditioned my mind to the fact that I had to live and deal with CP for the rest of my life. And I not only had to live, but live successfully with this condition. To be honest, every day is not a personal victory. There are days when I'm able to perform work well and I consider this a win. But there are days when thoughts about how I cannot live a normal life creep in and I just lie in bed. On those days, I consider myself a loser."

When diagnosed with a condition like this, it is easy to wallow in self-pity, but Bilal has plenty of advice. "I noticed many times that people misuse the special blessing of speech by talking rudely, and using harsh words. People should respect the ability to speak and not take it for granted because, once a word is spoken, it can never be taken back."

To those who may be suffering from a similar condition, he says, "I know it's easy to say but challenging to do, but don't lose hope and keep trying hard to achieve your dreams."

Bilal is taking his own advice to heart and working on his own dream - a biography. He is currently writing the last chapter and hopes this book, which chronicles his life, will 'carry a message to never give up no matter the situation'.

"I'm passionate about writing. I have also been gifted with two other unique qualities - that of self-motivation and inspiration. Which is why I decided to pen down my life story to include my achievements, from my school life to getting a job, so that it will inspire and motivate. I hope it can be useful to youngsters, school children, and university students and help them realise how lucky they are to have a normal life. I hope people of all ages can benefit from learning about the struggles I've had as it carries the message that God only helps those who help themselves! Last, but not least, I hope this book tells readers how to stay self-motivated and to keep fighting."
janice@khaleejtimes.com