Lost hands, not the will to live

Jahidul Islam, a physically challenged boy, is now known as Wonderboy in the Monirampur upazila of Jashore, for breaking stereotypes with his achievements and indomitable will.

Jahidul, who lost his wrists and part of his hands below the elbow following an electrocution accident in 2007, did not lose hope and continues to live a life of an ordinary teenager with his strong will and perseverance.

According to Rashida Begum, Jahidul’s mother, he has always been a bright student.

However, in 2007, when he was a third-grader, Jahidul got electrocuted while playing with his friends in an under-construction building. In that accident, his hands got severely injured.

“Right after the accident, we took him to the Monirampur Upazila Health Complex and then Khulna General Hospital. As the former declined and the latter proved inefficient to treat him, we took him to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH),” said Tauhidul Islam, Jahidul’s elder brother.

“However, it was too late and the doctors had to cut-off the severed parts of his hands. Jahidul lost the part below his knee in his right hand, and below his arm in his left hand,” he said.

“We had to be in the hospital for five long months, and when we came back to our village, our dreams were shattered. Once meritorious, Jahidul became frustrated with his new life but did not leave his dreams to become something great,” he further said.

“Jahidul can do most of his work alone; however, I help him with some chores,” said Rashida, Jahidul’s mother.

“Jahidul’s father works as a manager in a local brick kiln, and the money he earns is not enough to run our family. Although Jahidul is meritorious, we are tensed about his future. If he gets a government job someday, all our dreams will be fulfilled,” added the mother.

Jahidul, with his strong will to become an educated person no matter what, started to try to write with his severed hands, and within months he learned to write with his arms.

He again joined the school as a third-grader at the Lauri Ramnagar Govt. Primary School. Jahidul told The Business Post that without the help and assistance of his mother, family members, teachers and friends, he could not have been able to change his fate.

“I always had a dream to become a government job holder or a cricketer. When I lost my hands, I could not adhere to my physical disability and tried my best to get past it. Now I am an SSC examinee studying for my exams,” said Jahidul.

“I want to try for a government job first, and if that does not happen, I want to be a cricketer,” he added.

Now, he is studying in tenth grade in Dhaligati Higher Secondary School. He successfully scored GPA 4.75 in Primary Education Completion Examination (PECE) and GPA 3.00 in Junior School Certificate (JSC) with merits.

Not only that, Jahidul is also involved in different extra-curricular activities, such as swimming, cycling, playing cricket and football like any other teenager in the locality, breaking the limitations he faces with his physical disablement.

Habibur Rahman, an assistant teacher of Dhaligati Higher Secondary School, told The Business Post that although Jahidul writes with his elbows and it is tough for him, ironically, his handwriting is better than many other students in his class.

“If facilitated by the authorities concerned, a talented student like Jahidul can persevere to his dreams and achieve bigger things in life,” added Jahidul’s teacher.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Monirampur told The Business Post that Jahidul proved that strong will and perseverance could surpass physical disability.