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When you think about it, one of the greatest strengths of Special Olympics is the hope it offers. Hope for achievement, hope for acceptance, hope for the future. For Hala Abdouni and her family, Special Olympics Lebanon provided all of these.
Early on, when Hala's mother realized that her baby wasn't developing normally, she quit her job as a banker and devoted all her time to care for Hala. When Hala reached the age of one-and-a-half and was noticeably behind other children in terms of motor coordination, her father sought associations for children with special needs but came up empty.
At age 5, Hala joined a nursery school but was unable to cope with other children. In spite of such disappointment, fortune finally turned its face on Hala, as her father was appointed a Lebanese military attaché to the United States for two years, thus affording the family the chance to provide their daughter with the best specialized care possible. Hala was placed in a school that offered specialized classes for those with mental retardation,and she thrived. She did so well, in fact, that upon returning to Lebanon, Mrs. Abdouni joined in with a group of like-minded individuals and started her own mainstream school with a special education course. Through his friendship with Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa Sports Manager Mohamed Nasser (then Special Olympics Lebanon National Director), Major General Abdouni became heavily involved with Special Olympics, and soon after that, Hala, at 15, started competing as an athlete.
"I have started to be self-dependent, confident, and I enjoy myself with other friends," expressed Hala. Abdouni added that Hala has made real strides intellectually as well. Since that time, Abdouni has not only become a family member of Special Olympics Lebanon,but he is now President of the Program's Families Committee and a member of the Special Olympics Middle East/North Africa Regional Leadership Council.
The Abdounis are a great example of a family that has benefited from Special Olympics. "We have accepted the fact [that Hala has mental retardation] from the beginning and that is why we were ready to help," commented Abdouni. "Hala has changed the career of the whole family. We have all become members and volunteers in Special Olympics Lebanon."
With their tireless support of Hala, the Abdounis have also buoyed the movement in a land where hope is sometimes hard to find.
This article reprinted from Spirit Magazine, Quarter 3, 2002, by Abeer Anwar, Sports Editor, Al Ahram Weekly Newspaper (Egypt) |
