Muniba mazari The inspiring “Iron lady of pakistan”
they see my disability I see my ability
they call me disabled I call myself
differently abled there are some
incidents that happened in your life
those incidents break you deform you but
they mold you into the best version of
you and the same thing happened to me I
was 18 years old when I got married my
father wanted me to get married and all
I said was if that makes you happy I’ll
say yes and of course it was never a
happy marriage just about after two
years of getting married I made a car
accident
somehow my husband fell asleep and the
car fell in the ditch he managed to jump
out saved himself I’m happy for him but
I stayed inside the car and I sustained
a lot of injuries list is a bit long
don’t get scared
the wrist was fractured shoulder bone
and collarbone were fractured
my whole ribcage got fractured and
because of the rib cage injury lungs and
liver were badly injured I couldn’t
breathe I lost yurina bowel control
that’s why I have to wear the bag
wherever I go three vertebrae off my
back bone were completely crushed and I
got paralyzed for the rest of my life I
finally ended up in a hospital where I
stayed for two and a half months I
underwent multiple surgeries one day
doctor came to me and he said well I
heard that you wanted to be an artist
but you ended up being a housewife I
have a bad news for you
you won’t be able to paint again because
your wrist and your arm are so deformed
you won’t be able to hold a pen again
next day doctor came to me and said your
spine injury is so bad you won’t be able
to walk again because of your spine
injury and the fixation that you have in
your back you won’t be able to give
birth to a child again that day I was
devastated I asked my mother why me and
that is where I started to question my
existence why am I even alive and that
is where I realized that the words have
the power to heal the soul my mother
said to me this too shall pass
God has a greater plan for you I don’t
know what it is but it surely has and in
all that distress in grief somehow or
the other those words were so magical
that they kept me going one day I asked
my brother’s I know I have a deformed
hand but I’m tired of looking at these
white walls in the hospital and wearing
these white scrubs I’m getting tired of
this I want to add more colors to my
life I want to do something
bring me some colors bring me some small
canvas I want to paint so the very first
painting I made was
on my deathbed where I painted for the
very first time it was not just an art
piece or just my passion
it was my therapy and then I was
discharged and I went back home and I
went back home and I realized that I
have developed a load of pressure ulcers
on my back and on my hip bone I was
unable to sit there were a lot of
infections in my body a lot of allergies
so doctors wanted me to lie down on the
bed straight for not six months for not
one year for two years I was bedridden
confined in that one room looking
outside the window listening to the
birds chirping and thinking maybe there
will be a time when we’ll be going out
with a family and enjoying the nature
that was the time where I realized how
lucky people are that is the time where
I realized that the day I’m going to sit
I’m going to share this pain with
everyone to make them realize how
blessed they are and they don’t even
consider them lucky that day I decided
that I’m going to fight my fears we all
have fears fear of unknown fear of
losing people fear of losing health
money we want to excel in career we want
to become famous we want to get money we
are scared all the time
so I wrote down one by one all those
fears
and I decided that I’m going to overcome
these fears one at a time you know what
was my biggest fear divorce I was trying
to cling on to this person who didn’t
want me anymore but I said no I have to
make it work
but the day I decided that this is
nothing but my fear I liberated myself
by setting him free
and I made myself emotionally so strong
there the day I got the news that he’s
getting married I sent him a text that
I’m so happy for you and I wish you all
the best and he knows that I pray for
him today
number two was I won’t be able to be a
mother again and that was quite
devastating for me but then I realized
there are so many children in the world
all they want is acceptance so there is
no point of crime just go and adopt one
and that’s what I did people think that
there will not be accepted by the people
because we in the world of perfect
people are imperfect so I decided that
instead of starting an NGO for
disability awareness which I know will
not help anyone I started to appear more
in public I started to paint I decided
that I’m going to join the national TV
of Pakistan as an anchorperson and I’ve
been doing a lot of shows for last three
years I became the National goodwill
ambassador for UN Women Pakistan and now
I speak for the rights of women children
we talk about inclusion diversity gender
equality which is a must every time I go
in public are almost my
it’s always it big do these my llama
facin people ask me don’t you get tired
of smiling all the time what’s the
secret I always say one thing but I have
stopped worrying about the things that I
have lost the people that have lost
things and people who were meant to be
with me are with me and sometimes
somebody’s absence make you a better
person
cherish their absence it’s always it’s
always a blessing in disguise live your
life fully accept yourself the way you
are be kind to yourself be kind to
yourself I’ll repeat be kind to yourself
and only then you can be kind to others
love yourself and spread that love life
will be hard
there will be turmoil there will be
trials but that will only make you
stronger so when you accept yourself the
way you are the world recognizes you
it all starts from within
[Music]
[Music]
