Sarah Mohamed Abd El-Salam Abd El-Rahman

Sarah was born on the 27th of May in Saudi Arabia. She had a twin brother named Khaled. Her younger brother, Abd El-Salam, was born in Egypt two years later.

Her childhood was very happy. She lived a happy life with her brothers. She dreamed of a happy future. When she began primary school, Sarah was a brilliant girl and she was predicted to have a fruitful future. She used to draw and practice many sports, such as handball and running, and she liked reading as well. She was an ambitious girl. Her dream was to be a chemist. Sarah spent seven years in Saudi Arabia. She used to travel to Egypt every year to see her relatives.

Sarah's father was working as an accountant in a company in Saudi Arabia. Sarah's family consists of her father and mother, her twin, Khaled, and her younger brother, Abd El-Salam. They were a happy family and they had a wonderful time in Saudi Arabia.

One day the family decided to come back to Egypt in order to spend the summer holiday as usual, visiting relatives in Egypt. Sarah's father booked the tickets to travel by bus on Monday. At dawn, they boarded the bus. Sarah was sitting next to her brother (Khaled) on the right. Her mother and father were sitting on the other side with their little child (Abd El-Salam). They were behind the driver.

On their way, Khaled wanted to go to the bathroom, so he and his mother left their places in the bus and went to the bathroom. After they returned, everyone changed places. It was the role of destiny. Khaled took his mother’s place. Sarah and Khaled now rode on the other side, behind the driver. After a few hours, while they were on their way, the driver tried to avoid a wheel that had fallen from another bus in front of them. The driver lost control of the bus. After turning five times on the sand, the bus stopped on its left side, so the passengers who were sitting on the right fell onto those who sat on the left. Sarah's father and mother hurried to search for their children .

They found Sarah and her brother, Khaled, under the bus, but Abd El–Salam was safe. When Sarah was found, she had lost one of her arms under the bus and the other arm was limp. Khaled had a brain concussion.

They all gathered to get Sarah and Khaled out of the bus. The ambulance came and took them to the hospital with their parents. They were surprised about what had happened. The children underwent surgery . Khaled lost consciousness, he couldn’t breathe anymore, and he died a month after the accident. Meanwhile, Sarah had surgery to cut off the other arm. Then the terribly sad family returned to Egypt.

Sarah after the accident:

We have to ask ourselves some questions: How can a seven-year–old girl adjust to this difficult life? How much was she suffering? Did she lose hope? What about the others around her? What about their feelings towards her? Did her family and friends help her?

At first, we have to realize that this girl has a very strong will with great hope and patience. Sarah succeeded in overcoming her difficulties. She began to ask herself, "How can I write?", "How can I eat?" and "How can I achieve my hopes and dreams?" Sarah asked herself how she could go to school, how she could face her friends, how she could open the door and how she could have her breakfast during the break. Sarah's mother was the first person who helped her. Her mother taught her to write with her legs.

Sarah could turn the glances of pity to respect. She took part in different competitions. She likes drawing very much. She came out at the top of the drawing competition.

Sarah's father also played an important role in her life. He provided her with hope, strong faith, patience and the acceptance of God’s will. He taught her that what happened to her was an affliction from God and that she will be rewarded by entering paradise without being questioned.

Let’s take a look at some of the difficulties in Sarah's life. Let’s think of the suffering in her life. How can she carry her bag on her way to school? How can she open her bag to get the food out of it? At first it was a problem and sometimes she returned home without eating anything. Now, Sarah can eat and drink by herself.

The first obstacle in Sarah's way was in her primary school. She was unable to write and she had no older brothers or sisters to help her. At first she was able to write only a word on a page, but she got bored. With training, she learned to write in good, suitable handwriting without any help. This helped her to be a student in EL Haditha Preparatory School and to be at the top of her class.

To practice her favorite sports, Sarah joined a handicapped club in Damanhour. Her favourite sports are volleyball and running. The most important thing is that Sarah can use the computer and the Internet successfully; she can move the mouse with her legs, and she can type using her leg. This helps her in using the Internet to revise her lessons through electronic learning and some forums such as the "interactive forum."

Sarah's mother said, "I'm proud of my daughter because she is an obedient girl, she helps me at home, she helps her younger brothers, she can open the tap to drink by herself, she can eat and she is always on time."

Sarah's father said, "Despite being handicapped, Sarah is a brilliant girl. She can write with her legs in a good and clear handwriting. She has a great will and strong faith. She refuses any help from anybody. She insists on depending on herself. She is kind and helpful to others."