Syrian runner Dima Al-Aktaa: I lost my leg, but I found myself

"My mother was in the same room as me, but the bomb literally flew over her head. When I realised that the dearest person to my heart was in the same room but did not get injured, I was distracted from my own trauma. By focusing my attention on others, I was able to get through this traumatic experience," Dima explains.

"My entire family was at home that day, but no one was injured except me. Perhaps that was my destiny, and God gave me a second chance."

Challenging journey

But where did Dima get her conviction from, and what challenges did she face along the way?

"It has definitely been a challenging journey. Everyone has their own journey in life and mine was to lose my leg. We learn from every experience we go through."

Dima's journey, she says, began in the hospital.

"Realising that I had permanently lost my leg and that I would walk on crutches for the rest of my life was extremely hard for me to process. I cried and thought that I could not handle it. I am human after all."

"Sometimes I feel defeated but other times I feel invincible. Patience is key."

Feeling unsupported

In Dima's case, she says she didn't get the proper support she needed and felt alone in her process of recovery.

"People told me many things that brought me down and made me feel like my life was over. Some people even said that death would have been better than my life as an amputee," she says.

"I was truly astonished by their attitudes and words. Why wouldn't people thank God for my survival? You are still the same person, even if your looks change after losing a limb."

Despite the hurtful comments, Dima says the experience taught her how to handle negativity.

"I did not respond to the negative comments. They made me sad, but I did not respond or argue," she says.

"I did not have a prosthesis for almost six years, but I persevered. I believed that I would achieve my goals no matter what. That's not to say that I didn't have doubts along the way, especially because I didn't know what it was like to have a prosthetic leg or whether it was even possible to run with one," she says.  

"That's when my journey started. I began to actively and consciously convince myself that I would make it. It's all about mindset, when you tell yourself that can achieve something, then your mind will show you the way," she explains.

"This is what made me stick to running to this day. Everyone put obstacles in my way and told me that I could not make it, but I am happy to tell them today that I finally made it."

Dima believes in the importance of psychological recovery before physical recovery because "what we plant in our minds is what matters the most."

Many injuries and wounds remain invisible but can inflict long-lasting damage. Dima proudly admits to seeing a mental health therapist for a year and a half.

Asylum experience

Dima and her family first sought refuge from the war in Syria in Lebanon. There Dima tried to study and find work but says no one accepted her because of her handicap and nationality.

"I do not like to talk about this experience, but it taught me not to judge people and their abilities based on their looks. We should empathise with people's struggles and sacrifices," she says.

Six years later, her family was granted asylum in the United Kingdom.

The hardest part of Dima's asylum experience was the transitioning between different countries and lifestyles, feeling rejected as an amputee, and being told that her life was over.

"When I first arrived, I tried to adapt to this new country and culture. I had no choice but to start building my future," she explains.

In the UK, Dima had an operation to have a prosthetic leg implant place and after rigourous training, she was able to walk again.
 
"I persisted and did not let anyone see me struggle. I insisted on doing everything myself. It was extremely hard, but it was also what kept me going."

She participated in two marathons in the UK where she raised money for Syrian refugees in Greece and Jordan.

Her story was highlighted after the pop singer Ann Marie released her song "Beautiful" inspired by Dima's story.

Helping others

Today, Dima devotes much of her time helping people who have gone through similar experiences. Having gone through trauma herself, she understands just how important it is to offer support to people who have experienced similar traumas.

She is currently helping children who have been injured, disfigured or lost their limbs.