A struggle for survival
For the last thirteen years Amirul's life has been a continuous struggle.
Once an ambitious cook, the 40-year-old is now restrained to a walking frame for providing him support to maintain balance or stability while walking.
Amirul Islam lost his walking ability after a grenade splinter hit his spine on January 12, 2004 during the attack at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal in Sylhet city.
Amirul, a chef at the shrine, was cooking for people as there was an Urs (religious congregation) going on that night when the incident took place.
“Around 8:30pm, I was going to the restroom, suddenly I heard a sound and fell to the ground senseless,” he said.
Amirul was admitted to a hospital in Sylhet and later to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Then he was shifted to the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP).
“After a year of treatment there, I started walking with help. But I lost my work, my goodwill and have been struggling ever since,” Amirul said.
“Recently, the doctors suggested a spinal surgery, which requires a substantial amount of money that I cannot afford,” he sighed.
His family consists of his wife, a son and two young daughters who live at a rented house in Sadipur area in the city. “My son works at a biscuit factory. We are barely surviving on his meagre income.”
He said he has received help from time to time from the district administration and others but those were not enough to help him sustain.
“No one wants a disabled person to cook for a wedding or party,” he said. “I wish I could make them understand I am as good a cook as I was back in 2004.”
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