Meet Amna Raheel, the girl who doesn’t let anything get in her way

25-year-old graduate believes in mind over matter, wants to help other wheelchair-bound kids

KARACHI: No matter how serious a disease is, if you can fight it in your mind you can win. 'It's all about thinking positive, having faith and will power', this line has cemented its place in the mind of Amna Raheel, a young woman who has been suffering from muscular dystrophy for the last 23 years.

Twenty-five-year-old Raheel was only two years old when her parents realised she was unlike her two elder sisters and was unable to crawl, could not grip things tightly and could not even hold her head up for too long.





"I was about two-years-old when I was labeled as a 'different' or 'special' baby," said Raheel, who is wheelchair bound but does not let that stop her from pursuing her dreams. She recently graduated from the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) with a degree in commerce and an honorary gold medal, for which she also received a standing ovation from the teachers, parents, students and guests at the graduation ceremony.

Her parents tried everything to find a cure for her disease but nothing could be done. "In Boston, doctors at The Children's Hospital declared that I have a disease called Muscular Dystrophy but no treatment has been found because doctors do not even know why it exists," said Raheel with a bright smile on her face.

Talking about her supportive family, she said that her family are like her pillars without whom she would not have been able to achieve so much in life. "My parents tried everything to cure me, from visiting mazaars to homeopathic treatment and medical check-ups abroad," she added.

Amna, the student

The iron girl, who completed her studies from Foundation Public School and Nixor College, said that there was a time when her mother suggested she complete her Matriculation because she might find it difficult to do her O or A levels. "That day I decided I would prove my mother and here I am today, a graduate," she said.



"It was difficult for my family, especially my mother, to accept that I am not like others," said Raheel, explaining that her mother would force her to go to weddings and other event so that she does not turn into an introvert. She also remembers how her sisters never let her feel different and, as children, never went places where she could not go.



Though she was bullied in school, Raheel now knows how to handle people. She is currently interning at an advertisement agency and plans to get her MBA from IoBM next year.

Amna, the fun girl

"My life is no different than my siblings'," she said, explaining that she meets her friends, has a large social circle and does whatever she likes.



One of her friends said that she is a very friendly girl who has more friends than anyone else at their university. "Normal people have 11 friends but Amna has 11 best friends," he laughed.

Amna, the dreamer

"I have two dreams; one is to build a school for children who are wheelchair bound and think that there is nothing good in their lives and the second is to campaign for ramps," she said. Raheel said that while she was fortunate enough to be blessed with supportive friends and family, not everyone is as lucky. The school can help kids overcome this. "The reason for the ramp campaign is to make places accessible for wheelchair bound people," she explained.



She also gives motivational lectures to encourage children and spread awareness about her disease.

Amna, the adventurer

Raheel has a bucket list and has already ticked off a number of items. She has swum with dolphins, ridden an elephant in Thailand, rode in a rickshaw, lit sky lanterns and bicycled on the roads. "One of the biggest wish I have is to travel alone with my friends," she said in December. Another of Raheel's wishes came true on New Year's Eve, when she flew to Abu Dhabi to watch Coldplay perform live.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2017.