Our genetics lecture today was a clinical seminar on Down Syndrome, and we were honoured to have a person with DS to share his experience with us. Mind you, even though challenged with DS, he's now working as a reporter and just finished writing his own book. Cool ain't it? And to make it all special, he came with his mom, who shared with us her experience coping with a DS child. I remembered his mom saying, " They are just as normal as we are, but they are normal in their own special way." And both mother and son were both actively involved in Down Syndrome Ireland, helping others with the same challenge.
And then after our last lecture, went to a talk given by Abu Hafsa Abdul Malik, who was a Muslim revert from Canada. He embraced Islam after reading the wonderful story of Malcolm X, who was also a revert. One thing that makes him special is, Abu Hafsa is visually impaired from birth. The first time he heard the word "Islam", he said, "I like the word, I just thought it's an interesting word. It's not named after a person, like, Muhammad-ism or anything."
When he first listened to alFatihah, "I just like the sound of it. Of course I didn't know the meaning of it, but I just like the sound of it." :)
"The heart is what makes people blind, not the eyes."
And when asked the importance of spreading Islam, "It's our turn to pass the ball." He made it all look so simple, and doable to everyone :)
And his cheerful aura made the talk even more fun. " You know the cassette tape? The plastic case with two wheels in it?"haha
Basically, the start and the end of today were awesome, two people with two different challenges, DS, and blindness, yet both were so strong in seeking what they want. They made everything looked simple. We weren't tested with such challenges, so what are our reasons of not doing the thing we're supposed to do kan?
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