AL HUSSEIN Ibrahim

Classification
S9, SB8, SM9 (IPC, 10 Apr 2020)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (Athlete, 05 Sep 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (Athlete, 05 Sep 2016)

Impairment Details
In the Syrian Arab Republic in 2012, he was trying to help a friend who had been shot by a sniper when he was hit by the blast of another bomb. His right leg had to be amputated below the knee. (Athlete, 05 Sep 2016; rio2016.com, 22 Apr 2016)

General
LOSING HIS LEG
In 2012 he lost his right leg while attempting to help a friend who had been shot by a sniper in the Syrian Arab Republic. "He [my friend] fell to the ground and was crying for help. I knew if I went to help him, I could get shot as well. But I decided I had to help because I knew I would have never been able to forgive myself watching him die in the middle of the street. We were walking towards an intersection when a tank shell exploded in front of us. Every single one of us lost something. I lost my right leg, and I also needed metal plates in my left leg, my nose, and my left eye socket. One of my friends lost a leg, one of them his right hand, everybody was a casualty. After the accident there was a period when I was very down but after that I realised that I cannot continue like this. I told myself that I don't want to stop doing what I was doing before the accident. I was a little bit depressed and sad about losing my leg, but my friend survived and now has three children. He is happy right now and I can live because of that." (paralympic.org, 22 Jan 2020; paralympic.org, 02 May 2021)

MOVE TO GREECE
He grew up in the Syrian Arab Republic with 13 siblings. In 2014 he fled the war in his birth country, travelling first to Turkey before settling in Greece where he was granted asylum. "It was very difficult in the beginning in Greece because I didn't speak the language and I had nobody but eventually I found a doctor in Athens who helped me. He is like a brother to me. The leg would normally cost 12,000 Euros but he made it, did not charge me for it and any maintenance is free. After that I said, 'This is the place where I would like to live'. I'm happy in Greece. I even learned to speak Greek because I love the country and the people so much." (paralympic.org, 22 Jan 2020; reuters.com, 26 Apr 2016; tracks.unhcr.org, 22 Apr 2016)

FORTUNATE ENCOUNTER
While living in Turkey he was able to receive treatment for his leg, but the quality of the prosthetic he was given was poor, and it would often break. "I used to walk with a tool box in my backpack at all times. I'd sit on the street and fix it just to keep going." After moving on to Greece, a chance encounter changed his fortunes. "By luck, I met a Syrian expat who was very nice. He asked me about my story. I told him I was an athlete and was injured in the war in Syria and had to flee." The Syrian man had a Greek friend who had a similar impairment and used a prosthetic leg, and presented Al Hussein to the friend, who in turn introduced Al Hussein to his doctor. The doctor, Angelos Chronopoulos, is a specialist who fits prosthetic limbs. "That doctor is now like a brother to me. The leg would normally cost 12,000 Euros but he made it, paid for it out of his own pocket and provided maintenance for free." With his new leg, he was able to walk properly and find a job cleaning washrooms at a bus station, which enabled him to rent a small apartment. Eventually, he was able to return to sport. "Going back into sport wasn't easy. It was a big challenge. But if you have a disability or whatever else you face, nothing should stop you from doing what you love." (paralympic.org, 02 May 2021)