Rafi Solaiman was just 12-years-old when he suffered from a stroke and brain hemorrhage.
The boy, who was once incredibly active and athletic, suddenly collapsed out of nowhere in his home.
Rafiโs family was terrified that he wouldnโt make it. Doctors discovered that he had a tangle of blood vessels in his brain since birth that could have popped at any time.
Eventually, he was diagnosed with โlocked-in syndromeโ where his entire body was paralyzed.
He couldnโt walk, talk or blink.
So, he was basically trapped inside his body and wasnโt able to communicate.
Not only was his family devastated by Rafiโs new physical challenges but also by his mental challenges.
The boyโs brain injury caused him to accuse his mother of being an โimposterโ and become abusive with hospital staff.
โIt was really upsetting. I felt like I didnโt know my own son,โ Rafiโs mother, Jackie, told The Sun.
But, thankfully, there was hope for Rafi.
He was able to learn how to walk, talk and blink again.
And he also learned how to model. He was spotted by Zebedee Management who eventually signed him.
Oh, yeah and on top of that, he also became a runner. He was slated to represent his country at the CPISRA World Championships in Barcelona.
He was ranked third in the world at the 100m.
โI never thought Iโd do this much really. I thought itโd take a lot longer than it has [to recover]. Iโm pretty shocked to be honest,โ Rafi told Barcroft.
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โI think Iโm quite driven to do things and I think thatโs partly what has made me improve me so much.โ
Rafi says his stroke has made him a stronger and helped him to grow as a person.
โI think itโs affected my confidence in a positive way actually because I was quite a shy little 12-year-old back then and Iโm 18 now and Iโm quite a confident young chap,โ he said.
Jackie said her son has also become more loving after going through such a trying time.
โRafi has already met a new girlfriend through his modeling work; heโs a beautiful looking boy,โ she said. โThis is not, of course, the life we had planned for him โ but thatโs not to say he isnโt happy and fulfilled with a great future ahead of him.โ
Learn more about Rafiโs story in the video before.
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