By Bjorn Trautwein
It was a shock during the pregnancy: Even before little Abdallah was born, doctors feared that he would never be able to walk.
Almost three years later, the little boy from Spandau shows how wrong the doctors were: the boy who shouldn’t walk runs and jumps and even plays football. In two weeks he will be three years old: and he can celebrate that standing up.
“He can no longer be held,” says his mother Leila Kassem (32). She is standing in the courtyard below in front of the apartment building where she lives with her husband Ahmad (35) and their son. She watches proudly as Abdallah runs after a small ball and laughs out loud. “He’s so happy that he’s mobile on his own,” she says, “he even sprints into the bathroom to brush his teeth, gets his stool and stands proudly at the sink.”
In the family living room, Abdallah prefers to stand at the small table and play Photo: Stefanie Herbst
But it was a long way to get there: During an ultrasound examination in the 26th week of pregnancy, the doctor explained to the expectant parents that their child would be born without a fibula bone. Fibula aplasia is the name of this extremely rare malformation of the legs. Abdallah only has one toe on one side and three on the other. Doctors were certain he would never be able to walk on his own and would need a wheelchair or prosthetics. “A doctor even advised us to have an amputation,” says Mama Leila.
The special shoes support him when walking. His legs are still of different lengths, which is why the right sole is five centimeters higher Photo: Stefanie Herbst
But the parents didn’t want to put up with that. They found a specialist in the rare malformation in the USA. dr Dror Paley operates in the States and at a second center in Warsaw. Because the health insurance did not want to take over the operation, they collected the money privately. The BZ also reported on Abdallah’s fate two years ago, and many readers made donations for the little Berlin boy.
Abdallah’s legs were straightened in Warsaw last year. “It was two difficult and long operations,” says Papa Ahmad, “but he was very brave and survived everything well.” The doctors brought his ankles into a 90-degree angle and reconstructed his calf bones. “He had to wear a cast for three and a half months,” says his mother, “but since then there’s been no stopping him, he’s actually constantly on the move.”
Abdallah frolics with his dad through the large yard behind the apartment building. His favorite thing to do is feed the ducks at the lake Photo: Stefanie Herbst
When her son took his first steps in the living room without prostheses on February 2, the parents were overcome by their feelings: “We both just sat there and cried,” says Leila Kassem. Since then, Abdallah’s favorite thing has been to run through the park and feed the ducks.
But the brave boy has not yet fully recovered from the treatment. “His right leg is still five centimeters shorter than his left.” So that he won’t limp later, it has to be lengthened in a new operation.
Abdallah was an absolute dream child. Mama Leila Kassem (32) was born in Dortmund and grew up in Berlin. Her husband Ahmad (35) is a physics teacher. They got married four years ago Photo: Stefanie Herbst
“But we know it’s worth it,” says his father, “because we can see every day how well he’s doing since he could walk.”
This time the family has to travel to the USA for several weeks and again they are dependent on donations because the health insurance company does not cover the costs. Anyone who wants to support his fight and help him can find all the information here: www.helft-abdallah.de. Donation account: “Helft Abdallah” foundation fund, IBAN: DE90 7002 0500 5027 0527 00