Dasman Diabetes Institute invites TEDx
KUWAIT: TEDx, an international community that organizes TED-style events, was invited by the management of Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI) to develop education, awareness and guidance, in addition to shedding light on many international humanitarian initiatives. TEDx organizes a series of international gatherings that aim at introducing and spreading outstanding ideas in the world, sponsored by the Sapling Foundation in the US, a non-profit organization whose motto is ‘ideas that deserve spreading.’ It was established in 1984 and deals with a wide range of subjects in the field of research and practical practice of science through telling stories to present ideas.
DDI decided to take a different approach through its awareness campaign that was launched at the start of November, and be the podium from which voices of Kuwait youth who have inspiring ideas to change life for the better, transform weakness into strength and make the world a better place to live in. Several Kuwaiti youth such as novelist Humoud AlShayji, Hamad Al-Kulaib, Yousuf Al-Rifae, Lulua Al-Quoud, Khalid Al-Tannan, Zainab Karashi and Ghanim Al-Otaibi participated with their stories of hope, inspiration and a motive to live with pain and transform it into victory. Shayji said love is known as a source of power to overcome all obstacles of life in order to fulfill dreams and live life, and not only survive. He faced several personal problems until he learned he had cancer, which contributed to him writing and ‘documenting’ the story of loving everything in a book he named ‘Ishq’ (love). Here his life as an author began and fulfilled his dream - it did not occur to him that he would discover success through it.
Rifae fought a disease of the back muscles since he was a child that prevented him from practicing any sport, so he lost the most important part of childhood. His dream was to be a martial arts champion. When he was 16, he saw an ad on social media about climbing mountains which gave him the opportunity to take the risk, resist the pain and confront the fear of practicing sport. He climbed Africa’s Mt Kilimanjaro (height: 5,800m), then Mount Prussiu (5,600 m), followed by Mount Gladimwan (5,800 m) in France, then Mount Acun Cagawa (6,980 m) in Argentina, to finally stand on the highest summit in Australia.
He was the first Kuwaiti to climb these mountains despite difficulties, illness and disability. “If you believe in yourself and have a beating heart and breathing lungs, nothing will keep you from fulfilling everything,” he said.
Quoud was diagnosed with diabetes at an early age, and grew up with doctors’ guidance, food instructions and exercise, together with calculating doses of medicine and paying special attention to physical activity to resist the pain and reach her goals without the feeling of being different from those around her. Her condition did not prevent her from traveling to continue her education, and she was successful despite the health risks she faced.