A tale of survival

Manama : Multiple Sclerosis (MS)has not prevented Ali Tulefat to pursue his dreams. Apart from succeeding in multiple fields, including journalism and engineering, he has become a voice for MS sufferers in the Kingdom.

The 24-year-old Bahraini man has now become an inspiration for MS suffers across the world. 

Tulefat, who was diagnosed with the rare disease in 2009, has been sharing his story around the globe on how he overcomes the daily challenges posed by the disease. 

“Living with the condition was a huge setback,” he told DT News. “No one can deny that it is a very weird and harmful disease that affects your entire life. For example, an MS patient may suffer from symptoms such as weakness in muscles and the body in general.”

“Moreover, one may also suffer from memory loss, which could be permanent or temporary. Surely, this will differ from one person to another, but MS does hinder you from leading a normal life,” he added.

Although Tulefat started out as an engineer, his passion for writing helped him secure contracts with newspapers in Bahrain as well as other parts of the region. He worked six years as a writer and a journalist. 

Since 2010, he became busy in activism for Multiple Sclerosis Bahrain. He has been collaborating with the Ministry of Information Affairs, and the Ministry of Health. His activism began with lectures at schools, public and private universities in Bahrain. 

In 2013, he was one of the founding members of Bahraini Association for MS patients. Since then he has presented many lectures in many places around the world, including Germany, UAE and Qatar.

“It was such a challenge for me, I had a horrible experience during my days in the university as people used to misunderstanding me. Even after struggling and getting my degree as a civil engineer, I realised that getting a job is even more of a challenge because employers stigmatise me for being an MS patient. However, this did not stop me or weaken me. On the contrary, it made me stronger and helped me accept my situation,” Tulefat explained. 

“I am really proud to be an MS patient and I will not give up. I will go on the same path, as I strongly believe that what I have is a precious gift from the God. And the God is the only one who can bring changes. It is a matter of trust and faith,” he noted. “When I worked as a journo it was a chance for me to bring awareness about the disease. I was the first journalist to draw attention towards MS. Since the disease is a rare one, most people are totally unaware of it,” Tulefat added.