Video: Dubai dream comes true for Kazakh boy without legs

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Ali, who aspires to be a footballer, practises the game with his brother Amir. — Photo by Leslie Pableo
Ali, who aspires to be a footballer, practises the game with his brother Amir. - Photo by Leslie Pableo

Dubai - His Instagram account features a video of him dancing with kandoora and ghutra - the traditional Emirati costume.

By Sherouk Zakaria

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Published: Mon 11 Dec 2017, 11:00 PM

Last updated: Thu 14 Dec 2017, 2:11 PM

A Kazakh boy born without legs has fulfilled his long-standing dream - visiting Dubai.
Ali Turganbekov, 9, has had three simple dreams - meeting the inspirational Australian speaker Nick Vujicic born without limbs, visiting Dubai and getting prosthetic legs to enable him to feel like he is part of society.
Now that he can scratch the first two dreams off his list, Ali urges people to never stop dreaming. "Believe, dream, then take action. Everything you want will come to you," Ali  told Khaleej Times through his interpreter Yeldar Tolesh before the family left Dubai on Monday evening. His trip was sponsored by a Kazakh business delegation who heard his desire to visit Dubai through a TV interview.
Unlike the difficulties the boy faces from the Kazakh society, his mother Akmaral Amireyeva said the warm welcome and accessibility to public places Ali experienced in Dubai made him want to stay.
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"People here were welcoming. He could freely walk with his hands, which is something he cannot do back home. Malls and public places are equipped with ramps and proper infrastructure that serves the disabled," said Amireyeva.
Since his birth, Ali has always been fascinated by the eastern culture. His Instagram account features a video of him dancing with kandoora and ghutra - the traditional Emirati costume.
Of all the places he visited, Ali said he loved Dubai's desert safari and the beach. "I loved walking and feeling the sand with my hands, and I loved Dubai's weather," he said.
Despite his disability, Ali continues to play different kinds of sports including football and swimming through which he hopes to inspire others to practice a healthy living and stay active. In school, he's known for being active and sporting a positive attitude.
Hailing from Taldykorgan, a town in Almaty, the boy's family had to move to Astana to provide Ali with the education he requires.

A challenging story

Although his mother Amireyeva knew that Ali might be born without legs, she was saddened to see his disability. "Doctors were trying to hide him from me as long as possible, until I walked to the new-born nursery and found out," she said.
Amid their relatives and close friends' constant demotivation and pessimism towards Ali's disability, Amireyeva said she chose to accept him the way he is without treating him differently. "I was never sad for having him, I was only sad that society isn't accepting him.
"When he was born, we decided to give him all the love he deserves, so he continued to shine and fulfill his potential."
After the family struggled for years to find him a school in their hometown, they shifted to Astana after a government official knew of the boy's story and decided to sponsor his education.
Currently in third grade, Ali said he dreams of becoming a footballer and playing with the Brazilian Neymar. He practices his skills with his brother and best friend Amir.
"Before he joined, the school carried seminars to educate other children of his disability. Now, he's known among his classmates with his energy and positivity," his mother said.
Though the stance towards the disabled is gradually improving in Kazakhstan, the family is now looking to raise funds to get the boy prosthetic legs that would help integrate him in the society.
"We don't want him to feel isolated, and we hope he maintains his positivity as he grows up."
As he prepared to leave the city, Ali said: "During my bad times, I'll remember Dubai; its memory will uplift me."

His three dreams

Ali Turganbekov, nine, has had three simple dreams - meeting the inspirational Australian speaker Nick Vujicic born without limbs, visiting Dubai and getting prosthetic legs to enable him to feel part of society. The first two dreams have been achieved and he is looking forward to realising the third.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
 


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