A PARAPLEGIC man set a world record last night in Bahrain by running a race in an upright position thanks to technological advancements in the treatment available to spine injury patients.
Lebanese Michael ‘mighty Mike’ Haddad, who is paralysed from the chest down, clocked 1.16 minutes as he became the first ever athlete to attempt a 100-metre dash using only an exoskeleton and crutches.
“This feeling is amazing,” said Mr Haddad who performed the feat at the opening ceremony of the Asian Youth Paralympic Games, at Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir.
“It is both professional and personal and very big to me as a person and the community that I represent – those with spine injuries.
“It’s also a big statement from Bahrain to the world. The 100-metre dash on an exoskeleton and without a wheelchair – the first time ever anyone has attempted it with an injury like mine – reflects Bahrain’s solidarity to an inclusive society and its message of tolerance.”
The fearless 40-year-old is the Goodwill Ambassador for Climate Action at the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States.
He was only six when he suffered a spine injury while jet skiing close to the Al Jazayer beach in Zallaq. It left him paralysed from the chest down and he lost 75 per cent of his mobile motor functions. He was told he would remain wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life.
Training
However, after years of training and with a ‘Swing Through Gait’ (SWG) moving pattern he developed, Mr Haddad managed to stand up and walk with an exoskeleton – a rehabilitation gear – which is considered medically and mentally challenging.
An exoskeleton is regarded as a major technological breakthrough in the field and a solution to paraplegic patients providing them with unparalleled levels of independence.
“I’m proud that I came back to Bahrain, where I met with the accident which left me challenged, to give this message to the world, that nothing is impossible,” he said. “That first step was so hard, but that one step I took changed my life. If you have the will, you can do it – differently.”
International scientists, neurologists, physical therapists and engineers follow the ultra-endurance athlete who is based out of Beirut and Virginia, US. They study his performance and his brain’s neuroplasticity to better understand how he executes these physical feats.
“The scientific team with me worked for seven years with an aim to build a lightweight, semi-powered, smart exoskeleton that would improve the user’s balance and energy efficiency, eventually allowing them to develop their own self-balancing techniques,” he explained.
“With this record, I am introducing three aspects to the world – the new record of running a race not on a wheelchair while standing up with a mechanical exoskeleton, highlighting Bahrain’s vision of inclusiveness and tolerance and, finally, with a message to the global scientific community not to stop investing in this knowledge.
“It is needed to help my community to realise their dreams.
“Almost 15pc of the global population are physically-challenged, especially in the Arab region with the highest percentage – they need to be included in the social framework.”
Fondly known as ‘Mike’ globally, the entrepreneur and international speaker is known for taking up physical challenges that most able-bodied athletes would shy away from, and he always does that for a cause.
He crossed 19km/60,000 steps on mountainous trails calling for reforestation of the Lebanese Cedar, climbed 40m up Beirut’s Raouche rock to highlight marine pollution and went up the ‘Black Peak’ – the highest peak in the Mena region – to stress for action against the melting ice caps and the impact of climate change.
He is the youngest of the six and the only son of Esper Haddad and Genevieve Hajal Haddad who lives in Beirut.
While in Bahrain, Mr Haddad will take part in two major UNDP forums – ‘From Rehabilitation to Simulating Determination’, a roundtable featuring his scientific team on the exoskeleton research and ‘Meeting Bahrain’s commitment to Net Zero Carbon by 2060’, featuring policymakers in the field.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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