Dubai: Confined to a wheel chair with his limbs refusing to respond, Saeed Ahmad's dream of building a life in Dubai has come to an abrupt end after he met with a road accident last year.
But a placid smile refuses to fade from the 20-year-old's face, as the Pakistani worker clings to hope of starting all over again despite his crippling immobility.
Ahmad's life got overturned when the truck he was travelling in met with an accident on November 19, 2009 due to a tyre burst, as per the hospital records.
Admitted to Rashid hospital, he spent five months in a state of coma, but with his condition improving to a level where he can propel himself on a wheelchair, Ahmad now wants to go home.
"When I look ahead I know the future looks scary. But what can be more fearful than not being able to move about without anybody's help?
"Fear is not going to help me. I want to go home and make the best out of my life," Ahmad optimistically told Gulf News from his hospital bed.
Minimal chances
But going back to Ratedaro village in the Larkhana district of Pakistan where he hails from could mean that he is not able to continue his treatment and physiotherapy.
Dr Emela Mujic-Skikic, a rehabilitation specialist at the Physical medicine and rehabilitation department at Rashid Hospital said Ahmad needs regular follow-ups from time to time.
"He has cervical spine injury with impairment in the lower and upper limps. His chances of recovery are minimal but we are training him to manage his life with this disability. But the best thing is he is optimistic and does not show any signs of depression," Dr Emela said.
But Ahmad said he does not want to become a burden on his family consisting of his father, mother, an older brother and a younger sister.
"I came to Dubai to support my family and all I could do was pay back the debt I incurred to get a visit visa. And as soon as I landed here, my agent took away my passport and he has vanished.
"My family makes out a living from my father's small job in a bakery and it is just enough to keep the pot boiling," he said.
After the expiry of his visit visa, Ahmad was doing odd jobs like loading and unloading of goods to support himself. Valley of Love (VOL), a Dubai-based charity that has taken up Ahmad's case says his medical condition will only worsen without any means of financial sustenance.
"It is after intensive medical treatment and continued physiotherapy that Ahmad is now able to talk and use a wheel chair.
"But if he discontinues his treatment after going home, he will sink back to his earlier condition," Joseph Bobby, Vice-President of VOL, said.
He said they are trying to raise funds so that Ahmad can be self-sufficient and continue his treatment after being repatriated.
