Hebatullah Mustafa Shalabi..A true miracle with Down syndrome

Heba Allah Mostafa Shalabi, daughter of Tanta, Al-Gharbia Governorate, managed to break records in many athletics tournaments for people with special abilities.

Heba’s mother spoke about the difficulty of the beginning; Heba refused the communication sessions and it was difficult to communicate with her and develop her skills and abilities. The private school she attended was unable to develop her skills or take care of her, so the family took over that task and taught Heba at home until she started progressing day after day and was able to pronounce all letters as well as her name. Then Heba’s sports journey began, as she joined the swimming and athletics team at Tanta Club, which was registered with the Egyptian Sports Federation for Mental Disabilities. Heba participated in the 2014 Athletics Championships and won two gold medals in the 1500m and a silver in the 800m races. After that, she continued to achieve championships, as she won the Republic Championship and the Cup for Athletics of the Egyptian Sports Federation for Mental Disabilities with 28 gold, silver and bronze medals.

She also joined the national team and the African Championship in 2020 and won 3 bronze medals. She also won several medals in swimming in the Egyptian Olympics. Thus, Heba has become an honorable and inspiring example for the community and the whole world, especially her peers with Down syndrome. These heroes only need someone to take care of them and guide them until they achieve their hopes.

The mother concluded her speech by saying: “Heba is my hero, my love and the apple of my eyes, who I am proud that she is my daughter.”