An Extraordinary life: Living with Cerebral Palsy

An Extraordinary Life: Living with Cerebral Palsy tells the story of author Bilal Hafeez’s challenges and triumphs.

Bilal was born to Pakistani parents in Kuwait in 1983. Complications during his birth led to Cerebral Palsy (CP), a per­manent movement disorder marked by impaired muscle coordination. Growing up with this disability, he had to learn how to overcome numerous obstacles in life, as even walking and talking can be a chal­lenge for him.

At the age of 35, Bilal made headlines in the UAE 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 came about because of his training at the Al Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities, where he met Dr Amit Kakkar, a Dubai-based media and communications specialist. Bilal was chosen as one among the UAE’s first batch of journalists with disabilities.