This past Summer DROR ran a 3 week Kaitana for 18 girls from Ulpanot Gila and Noga. Each day was full of fun but also learning opportunities.
One such opportunity was when Asael Shabo a very talented young basketball player came to talk to the girls about his life to date.
He is one special person who at the age of 19 has much wisdom and an important messages to share with the group.
Asael suffered at a young age what most would say is the most terrible loss imaginable. His mother and 3 brothers were tragically killed in a pigua in Itamar 11 years ago and in that same pigua he lost his leg. Yet after a 20 months of rehabilitation and counselling Asael says he is able to wake up every morning with the attitude that there are certain things we can control and things we can't and he chooses to focus on what he can do and not on what has happened to him and what he knows cannot be undone.
A most admirable attitude. Truly inspiring and one that made a great impression on our group of girls.
On top of this most memorable first meeting, the group from DROR were invited to watch Shabo play a game of basketball in the Israeli Wheelchair Basketball League. Tuesday evening last week the group set off to Ramat Gan to take him up on his offer.
The girls really enjoyed watching him and his team mates play. They got to see for themselves that it is possible for someone with strong beliefs, goals and self confidence to overcome obstacles and hardships.
Throughout the year DROR's program emphasizes to its girls exactly this message. Everyone one of us in life must look for our own talents, identify our own strengths, and that it is possible to succeed with a combination of hardwork, a healthy mind and body and that hardships, disabilities and set backs needn't define us.
Overwhelmingly the girls felt that after watching Shabo and his teammates they have renewed motivation to continue "to play the game" and reach for the stars.