Dubai Dream Comes True For Kazakh Boy Without Legs

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, Khaleej Times reported

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Dec, 2017 ) :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, Khaleej Times reported.

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.

"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. 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."