Tuesday, February 18, 2025
HomeDisabilityDay in the Life: Muhammad Hussain Shah

Day in the Life: Muhammad Hussain Shah


man in wood frame wheelchair

Muhammad Hussain Shah grew up in rural northern Pakistan as one of 10 siblings, with five brothers and four sisters. His father was a laborer and Shah and his siblings used to help on his job sites. In 2016, two years after getting married and one year after having his first child, Shah got caught under a collapsing roof and sustained a spinal cord injury.

Shah quickly exhausted his family’s savings paying for hospital care, and had to spend his share of his father’s land for treatment and borrow money from friends. He continued rehab until 2019 when the doctors declared him permanently disabled.

To support his family, Shah learned to sew and started making clothes as a professional tailor. Having seen the need of other Pakistanis with disabilities, he started an organization to support them called the Special Welfare Organization. He repairs broken wheelchairs and designs and builds custom wooden wheelchairs, well suited for the hilly, unpaved terrain he calls home. “So far, we have helped disabled people, orphans and poor families. God willing, we will continue like this,” he says.

Shah works around regular power outages, a lack of running water and mountainous terrain, and prides himself on staying active and connected to his community. He says, “I don’t consider my disability to be a limitation. I regularly take special time for my friends and relatives and keep in touch with them. Many people with disabilities tend to stay at home and cut off relationships with family and friends, but I believe this should not happen. Health and wellness are beyond our control; they are all part of my Creator’s will.”

man in wood framed wheelchair with hand on another

4 a.m. I wake up for morning prayers. Since we use wood to heat water and my parents sleep in the kitchen during the winter months, I perform tayammum — an Islamic cleansing ritual where you rub a small amount of sand, dust or dry earth in place of water. It takes me around 15-30 minutes to complete my morning prayers, and then I go back to sleep.

8 a.m. I wake up again and start my day with stretching exercises. For my upper body, I stretch and do some push-ups. For my legs, I perform some circular movements with my toes, as well as some hip and knee movements while lying in bed. This routine lasts about 30 minutes. Afterward, I head out to the front yard, where I sit and have a cup of tea. I usually don’t have breakfast. By this time, most of my family members have left for their daily work or school. My wife and I discuss what to cook for lunch.

10 a.m. I meet up with friends. My younger brother and I hang out with people from the local village. If they’re busy I still enjoy being in nature among the trees, spending time on my own. Later, I continue exploring the area in my wooden wheelchair.

man in wheelchair frame made of wood on hillside

11:30 p.m. Lunchtime. Our meals typically consist of vegetables or lentils since chicken or meat is not always available or affordable for us. We usually eat chicken or any kind of meat just once a week, rarely twice, so most of our lunches consist of lentils or various vegetables accompanied by traditional Pakistani roti (a flat bread), which my wife prepares. The scarcity of firewood means we usually only cook once a day, so we try to make things with leftovers. After lunch, I offer noon prayers.

1 p.m. I start work on sewing clothes or designing different types of wheelchairs. I used to work full time as a tailor, but now my primary focus is on helping other people with disabilities by designing and building various types of wheelchairs.

Electricity isn’t consistently available. Typically, we get electricity from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., so during these two hours, I work on cutting different types of wood and use drills and other equipment to build wheelchairs. If I have clothes to sew, I also work on cutting and stitching them during this time.

3 p.m. When the electricity goes out, there isn’t much I can do, so I try to find something else productive. I often go out with my brother to find someone we can help.

United Spinal Connection

Shah works from his home workshop using power tools and wheelchair parts sent to him by United Spinal member Erik Kondo as part of his initiative to promote a DIY Wheelchair Movement. “Muhammad is an amazingly skilled carpenter and tailor. His wheelchairs are solid and highly functional. He is making them outside with just basic tools. I am very impressed with what he has accomplished,” says Kondo.

5 p.m. The return of electricity for a couple of hours makes for a busy evening. My brother and I get back to working on either wheelchair projects or sewing machine. Before I begin working, I always perform my late afternoon prayers. Once the evening prayer time arrives, I have usually completed most of my work for the day.

man in wooden wheelchair with young child on lap and 3 other children standing next to him

7 p.m. I enjoy spending time with my family.

9 p.m. I use Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp on my mobile phone to keep in touch with my relatives and friends.

12 a.m. Time to sleep.

The website for the Special Welfare Organization is specialwelfareorganizationofpakistan.org. Follow Muhammad on Instagram: @wheelchairandfurniture and @mhshah34.


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