Restoring a future: Rising again on a new leg

Hafiz Mohammad Bahzad, who lost his left leg in an accident last October, feels like a different man.

"My whole life has changed for the better," said Bahzad, 22, excitedly when XPRESS called him to follow up on his progress.

"Look at me, my walk, my health and my style, everything about me has improved so much. I am very grateful to God and everyone who helped me during my darkest hour. I want to take them all out to lunch.

"Inshallah, I will, as soon as I get a job and I start earning again."

Kritika Rawat of City FM had helped raise funds for Bahzad through her show after XPRESS published the story on October 25 last year about his accident and his need for money for a prosthetic leg.

"We had raised over Dh100,000 for Bahzad who only needed Dh55,000 for his new leg. We still had about another Dh50,000 sitting in the bank," said Kritika.

Walking again

It has been barely a couple of weeks since Bahzad learnt to walk again, but he is already making a difference to the life of someone who is going through a similar experience in New Delhi, India.

"When Bahzad got his new leg he came and visited me at my office," said Kritika.

"He was very happy and excited about his new leg and the fact that he could walk again.

"It brought tears to my eyes. I immediately took him on air on my show where he spoke to a guy called Ganesh Singh Rawat in India who needed emotional and financial support after an accident which took one of his legs and badly damaged the other."

Ganesh, 20, a labourer, was hit by a speeding train which severed one of his legs and critically injured the other.

The two bonded together very well, Kritika said.

Bahzad later donated the remaining Dh50,000 to Ganesh for the treatment of his legs.

TEARS OF EMPATHY

Bahzad was in tears when he explained how no one could have understood Ganesh's pain better than him. " I wanted him to know there is light at the end of the tunnel," he said.