An incredible journey cut short by tragedy

Emtiaz Kabir Iftu was probably the biggest fan of football star Cristiano Ronaldo, as evident by his viral Facebook post from last year, depicting him and his mother posing in Ronaldo's iconic celebratory style.  

Iftu had his reasons behind such admiration for CR7.  

"Ronaldo transformed himself into an extraordinary player from a very humble beginning, only by virtue of hardship. And that inspires me to see through my own struggle," Iftu explained during a conversation with The Business Standard last year. 

But in reality, Iftu's struggles eclipsed even that of his idol Ronaldo. 

That he was not blessed like most other human beings was diagnosed soon after his birth. It was discovered that both of his legs were crooked, indicating he would never walk normally like other children. Consequently, bandages were applied to his legs when he was only seven days old.

But in spite of being confined to a wheelchair or relying on a steel crutch, Iftu refused to let this disability ever get in the way of achieving his goals. 

With his mother by his side, he defied all challenges and obstacles the society put up against him and went on to graduate in Computer Science and Engineering from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and subsequently join a multinational company as a software engineer. 

But of course, even if you beat everything else, you cannot really beat the inevitable that death is. And so, Iftu's story met with an abrupt halt when he breathed his last in Chattogram's Evercare Hospital at around 3pm on 8 February. The 24-year-old had been hospitalised with lung conditions since late December last year. 

And with his demise also comes the end of the struggles of his mother, Yasmin Nahar Luna, who always accompanied him through every trial and tribulation. 

She, along with her husband Inamul Kabir, naturally was shell shocked to learn about the rare physical condition of their first child. 

However, the mother in Luna never thought of giving up. She kept trying for the past 24 years to ensure that her son never viewed himself as inferior to others of his age,

Living in Chattogram, she and her husband took Iftu to various parts of Bangladesh and India seeking treatment. But the disease was never properly diagnosed anywhere. 

"Doctors thought it was osteogenesis imperfecta. But it didn't match my problems. So the disease remained undiagnosed," Iftu had said. Due to bone weakness, he experienced a total of 15 leg fractures over time.

Meanwhile, Luna also enrolled her son to all kinds of mainstream educational institutions from kindergarten to college and then university, even in the face of discouraging words from many.

But in the beginning, she too was worried about whether Iftu should be admitted to a normal school, or whether he should be kept at home and taught by a private teacher. 

In Iftu's own words, "At that time, there was no precedent for children with physical disabilities to study in school. If you knew of such a child in someone's house, you could hear them crying all day, as they were kept apart from everyone."

But in Iftu's case, his mother did not want that at all. So, after being tutored by her in his initial years, Iftu was admitted to a kindergarten school. 

Unfortunately, little Iftu had to face constant bullying from other children at school, especially because he was carried to and from school. His mother tried to shield him from these as far as possible.

Iftu's dream was to get admitted to Chittagong Collegiate School, a renowned educational institution in the port city. To achieve this goal, he had to pass an entrance exam, competing with thousands of candidates. It was customary to undergo year-long coaching for the entrance exam. Despite the challenges, his mother would carry Iftu up the five-story stairs for his coaching sessions.

One day when Luna went to the school with Iftu, she was told by others that all her efforts were useless. Instead, they suggested that she should get Iftu admitted to a school for children with disabilities. 

"That day, my mother came home and cried a lot," said Iftu. And this was what motivated him to study even harder so that he could bring a smile to his mother's face. 

And thus, Iftu secured a place for himself in the Collegiate School based on his own merits. From that point onward, he no longer faced criticism from acquaintances regarding his abilities. Rather, his name started to be mentioned everywhere as an example of a good student. 

Later on, Iftu also achieved the distinction of ranking 49th in the Chattogram Board, accompanied by receiving a Golden A+ in the SSC examination.

But an issue arose during the university admission period. Although Iftu always dreamt of studying engineering, his mother wanted him to become a doctor. But he was highly disappointed for a month as his HSC results did not meet his expectations.

"As an examinee with a disability, I was allotted an additional 30 minutes to complete the written exams. Consequently, my answer scripts were submitted 30 minutes later than those of other students, and they were kept separately as well. I suspect that they were not evaluated with the same level of diligence as those of the other students," Iftu said. 

Besides, he also faced challenges with his spinal cord, which deteriorated just before the HSC exam. Prolonged periods of sitting and writing would trigger pain in his hand. At one point, his entire left side became paralysed, and he was unable to fully straighten his neck.

As a result, whereas most of his friends got A+ in the HSC exam, he got only an A. So, he couldn't participate in the BUET admission test. For a while, he felt as though life was becoming increasingly unbearable.

However, as always, he bounced back and was selected for SUST, RUET and CUET. Eventually, he chose SUST as it offered his preferred subject, CSE. Thus, for the first time in his life, Iftu found himself living away from his family.

The biggest worry for his mother at that time was whether he could handle everything alone. But Iftu's university friends came as a big respite. Even though there was a separate person and a wheelchair to bring him to and from the university, his friends became his primary source of support throughout this journey. 

They assisted Iftu in various ways, including carrying him to classrooms and labs, aiding him in navigating stairs when necessary, sharing meals together, and accompanying him on walks.

"In the university, my son had a different world, he had a circle of friends. It was a great achievement for me. It represented the culmination of all my efforts for so long to ensure that my son did not become isolated from the world around him," reminisced Luna. 

"I recall carrying my son in my arms during his university admission tests. The buses were reluctant to accommodate us if they saw my son in my arms. One day, I boarded the bus while holding my son, and I still feel the pain when I think of those days," Luna added during our conversation with her last year. 

It was apparent with her choice of words that she was envisioning better days ahead. 

After Iftu started his professional life in Dhaka in June last year, Luna also came along with him, though temporarily, to help him settle down in the capital. 

But they had to head back to Chattogram two months ago since Iftu's health condition worsened. 

Notably, Luna has been teaching at Krishna Kumari City Corporation Girls High School in Chattogram since 2013, although her position is not yet permanent.

Her husband, Inamul, previously worked in a garment factory. However, due to physical illness, he was unable to continue this full-time job after 2018. Currently, he is engaged in a part-time job.

Iftu was determined to support his family, which includes his younger sister, currently in the eighth grade.

During our last conversation, Iftu also expressed his aspirations of eventually working as a software engineer in a prestigious international organisation such as Google or Facebook.

"If you accept your physical disability, many things become easier. It is not a crime. So there is nothing to be ashamed of or feel inferior. If you can use what you have and become worthy, you won't have to look back. Rather, others will find you," Iftu said. 

As luck had it, these words are sounding nothing short of an irony right now. But there's a brighter side to consider: the light of Iftu's life may have dimmed, but his words and story have the power to rekindle hope in thousands of others.