Egyptian heroes with Down syndrome

How the shock of disability turned into the joy of championships!
Mariam won more than 40 medals, and Salma took the first place in karate, and Sama sings..
Great parents confirm that their children are not retarded. Their children are heroes, real heros.
Mariam Waguih (the pride of her family and of Egyptians)
She is a swimming champion with Down syndrome who has won more than 40 gold and bronze medals in international competitions for several years.
The virtuous mother, Mrs. Hana Amin, says that amid the joy and ululation of the family, she gave birth to her first child, who had peaceful and cute angelic features; yet, the joy did not last long. On the fortieth day of her birth, they rushed her to the doctor and discovered that she suffers from pneumonia and a hole in the heart and an umbilical hernia. It was a shock to the mother who saw her husband’s tears after talking to the doctor away from her. She asked him about the reality of the situation of their child, and he shocked her with the news, which is that the child is (Mongolian), and then she asked about the meaning of what he was saying, so he said to her: “Mentally handicapped.”
At the time, the term (Down syndrome) was not often used, and she did not know what her child was suffering from. Her first comment was (I mean, won’t she say Mama feel me?) .. The doctor completed the shock with words that fell like a stone on the mother’s heart (Give her an air injection and get rid of her, her death is better! ), I screamed in a nervous breakdown, and after passing the shock stage, we had to face a new reality that we had not imagined or known before.
Thus began the story of Mariam Waguih despite the lack of medical and societal awareness of this syndrome, even from some doctors, and the absence of public rehabilitation centers dedicated to these children. However, Conscious perseverance can turn trauma into a story of success and heroism.
Mariam, the swimming champion

The great mother, Mrs. Hanaa Amin, Mariam’s mother, says: “The reason for my daughter’s birth with Down syndrome was a mutation, not heredity. We met a good pediatrician who explained the matter to us, and after our first shock, I decided to hide her so that no one would know about her.”
The mother added that she went to a private rehabilitation center because there are no public rehabilitation centers, where Mariam spent 6 years to learn everything. “When the family knew that she has Down syndrome, it was another shock for us, which was the aversion of some people at first, but we are pleased that these are same people who are proud of her today.”

Mariam and championships
The mother explained that she was completely devoted in the first years to raising Mariam, who suffered greatly when she reached school age, when she joined a school until she was exposed to a harsh situation in the first grade of primary school by which all feelings of pain were renewed. She was severely beaten by other students with her in the same class. So they enrolled her into a school for people with special needs, where she proved her superiority and began training swimming at the age of seven. She participated in the Olympics in her 14th year and won the first gold medal and got qualified to join the Arab Championship and won silver and bronze medals in it. Within only 5 years she obtained the 40 medals in swimming, and got honored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports
Mariam’s swimming coach (Captain Mahmoud Moawad) says that the team that includes Mariam has heroes of several other disabilities, and that Maryam was initially suffering from some lethargy, but with encouragement, training, and employing her abilities well, she managed to obtain several medals in a short period of time.
Moawad added, that he dealt with Mariam step by step, especially in the part of the speed that she lacked, and he found that she is characterized by a long breath and good endurance under water. He advises that children like Mariam need someone to support and love them, not raise his voice on them so that they do not get angry with him.
Mariam and other talents
Mariam showed that she is talented in drawing and color coordination as well, and she participated in the International Forum for People with Special Needs Art competition in which 28 foreign and Arab countries participated, and received a certificate of appreciation. She is also training in bowling.
Undoubtedly, behind Mariam’s success story, there are great father and mother.
Stay tuned for more success stories