by Simon Daish

Every day as her father, Mr Imad Lafta returned home from his work at the Iraqi-American army base, Najla would greet him with her arms wide open and a huge smile on her face.

On April 19th 2008 Najla raced outside to welcome her father home but little did Mr Imad Lafta realise just how quickly his daughter’s life was about to undergo a major change. Unaware that his car had been sabotaged with a sticky bomb, Najla lost three of her limbs in a horrific incident aged just three at the time.

Following a lengthy stay in hospital, the extent of her wounds became fully apparent, leaving Najla in a state of despair:

 “I was at the hospital three months and once I realized I had lost my legs and arms I cried and cried and became angry because I knew I had lost everything.” Najla Imad Lafta

Najla’s life had been turned upside down and could do nothing but try her best to adjust to her new life with the assistance of a wheelchair.

One memory Najla recollects about her time in fourth grade, looking around at the other girls in school and recognising just how different her life had become compared to her fellow pupils’:

“In fourth grade, I realised I was different from the other girls. I saw my friends were running at school, walking and playing, and they were thinking about what they would do in the future. All I could do was sit in my wheelchair and think that I wanted to run like them.” Najla Imad Lafta

However, Najla’s life was about to change again as she purchased a piece of equipment that would eventually lead her to sporting glory: a table tennis racquet.

Najla had to go through the frustrations associated with the process of learning how to play with her weaker hand, having been born right-handed. Aware of his daughter’s struggles, Mr Imad Lafta contacted a friend of his from the Iraq Paralympic team, Hossam Hussein al-Bayat for help.

Working on her technique for a couple of hours each day, Najla’s game improved at a staggering rate and earned a place in the Iraq Paralympic team at the age of 12! Now 14 years of age Najla has developed into one of the best players the Asian continent has to offer, an achievement heralded by the head of the Iraq Paralympic Committee Mr Aqil Hameed.

 “What amazed me in Najla is that she is from a very poor family and lives in a neighborhood where squatters live and she has only one arm and she is the champion of Iraq and took the golden medal in the Iraqi championship and took the silver medal in Asia. Really I consider this a miracle and the persistence and the effort and the hope that Najla has must be a big lesson for us and for all of the Iraqis.” Mr Aqil Hameed.

The Paralympics committee recently bought prostheses for Najla, which are far better than the ones she had before but they are still not the kind made for athletes.

Nonetheless, Najla has made the switch from playing in a wheelchair to standing: a remarkably rare progression in the sport, when most players do the opposite.

Her inspirational journey continued at last week’s Asian Para Championships in Taichung, Chinese Taipei, where Najla performed brilliantly and very nearly qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“To be honest, nothing compares to having legs and arms, but at least I am happy with what I have done.” Najla Imad Lafta

To read more about Najla’s story make sure to head over to New York Times.