A young Emirati known as "The Don" in the UAE cycling community has made a remarkable comeback from a serious accident that threatened to change his life forever.
Abdullah Al Shamsi, 18, who has Down syndrome, fractured his pelvis and right hip in the accident and underwent surgery at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City in January.
Now back on his bicycle and competing again, Abdullah is looking towards his next challenge, with his father hoping to prepare him for triathlons and international competition.
“When I realised how serious the injury was, everything went black for me. I thought his future was finished,” his father, Hilal Al Shamsi, told The National.
“Cycling wasn’t just a sport for Abdullah. It was how he became part of society. He became known, he made friends and his personality changed.”
Months later, "The Don” is not only back in the saddle but also setting his sights higher than before.
Abdullah is the eldest of Mr Al Shamsi’s four children. His family discovered he had Down syndrome after he was born. His father said Abdullah was fortunate not to experience some of the serious health complications that can be associated with Down syndrome.
“I always treated Abdullah normally,” he said. “Thankfully, he didn’t have the health problems that can sometimes come with Down syndrome. I wanted him to live his life like any other child.”
The family sought support from Zayed Higher Organisation when Abdullah was young and later tried to place him in mainstream nurseries and schools. But inclusion was not always as easy as it is today.
“Not every school would accept him at the time,” Mr Al Shamsi said.
One encounter in particular changed the way he approached his son’s future. He recalled being told by a school that other children had “better abilities” and that Abdullah’s abilities were limited.
“I told them, ‘Thank you. If his abilities are limited, then I will work on what he has. Limited doesn’t mean there is nothing there',” he said. “That was when I really started fighting for Abdullah.”
Mr Al Shamsi began taking his son everywhere with him – to weddings, social occasions, shopping centres and even running everyday errands.
“I wanted people to get used to seeing him and I wanted him to be part of society,” he said. “I noticed that people would stare at him and felt uncomfortable around him. Alhamdulillah, awareness today is completely different.”
The experience also transformed him as a father, Mr Al Shamsi said.
“I can summarise what he did to my life very simply: from nothing, I became something. Before, there was no goal. Then there was a goal."
Abdullah tried several sports while growing up, but none captured his attention in the way cycling did. He was 13 when someone advised his father to take him somewhere he could exercise. Mr Al Shamsi chose Al Wathba.
“That’s where Abdullah really took off,” he said. The family bought him a bicycle and cycling equipment, and what began as an activity quickly developed into a serious training routine.
“He started training five days a week,” Mr Al Shamsi said. “Sometimes I would come home from work and find him sitting on the steps outside the house already wearing his cycling clothes, waiting for me to take him to training.”
More importantly, Abdullah found a community where he could belong.
“The cycling community didn’t make him feel different. They encouraged him and treated him like everyone else. Cycling changed his personality.”
He began with the Al Wathba community cycling team before joining Abu Dhabi Cycling Club and is now sponsored by property firm Modon.
Abdullah also competed alongside cyclists without disabilities and reached the podium in local races, his father said. The nickname "The Don' came from how much respect those in the cycling community have for him.
Gearing up
“He competes against cyclists without disabilities in his age group,” Mr Al Shamsi said. “He gets good results and, Alhamdulillah, he has reached the podium.”
He recalled an occasion when a coach made other cyclists move away from Abdullah as they waited at a starting line.
“Abdullah threw down his bicycle and just stood there looking at him,” he said. “Other people noticed what had happened and were upset by it.”
But the experience did not stop him from continuing with the the sport. Abdullah’s cycling career was thrown into doubt after a high-speed crash late last year left him with a serious pelvic injury.
His father said several cyclists collided and Abdullah tried to avoid them before falling heavily.
Because Abdullah has difficulty communicating verbally, the seriousness of his injuries was not immediately apparent. “They thought he just had injuries from the fall,” Mr Al Shamsi said. “I knew something wasn’t right.”
His father drove him to Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City. “Every movement of the car hurt him,” he said. “It’s very difficult. He’s your son. He’s in front of you in pain and you don’t know what to do for him.”
Dr Joseph Alsousou, chairman of the Orthopaedics Division and consultant orthopaedic and trauma surgeon at SSMC, said Abdullah had suffered a significant injury.
“Abdullah was cycling when he had an accident. He is a champion and sustained a high-energy fall from his bicycle, leading to a fracture of his pelvis and acetabulum, which is the cup of the hip,” he said.
The fracture extended into Abdullah’s right hip joint and caused severe pain. Doctors also noticed a change in the teenager’s behaviour after the accident.
“It affected him badly from a psychological and trauma point of view,” Dr Alsousou said.
“Because he was unable to express his pain, he was crying and withdrawing from people. He felt he couldn’t go back to his bicycle, which is his life. His life is all about cycling.”
Back on the bike
Doctors used detailed 3D imaging to establish the extent of Abdullah’s injuries.
“The fracture was significant, affecting his pelvis and extending into his hip joint,” Dr Alsousou said.
Doctors could have allowed the fracture to heal naturally, but that would have significantly delayed Abdullah’s return to walking and cycling. The alternative was surgery.
After discussing the options with Abdullah and his father, the medical team opted for a minimally invasive procedure in January.
Surgeons inserted screws through small incisions to compress and stabilise the fractures, using advanced imaging to guide their placement.
“Our aim as a team was to relieve his pain and restore his function so he could get back on his bicycle with minimal interruption to his daily life,” Dr Alsousou said. “The following day after surgery, he stood up."
Abdullah spent two days in hospital before returning home.
When he returned for a follow-up appointment a week or two later, he walked into the clinic alongside his father.
“That showed the significant improvement in his pain and function,” Dr Alsousou said.
For the surgeon, the case was memorable not simply because of the seriousness of the fracture but because of what cycling meant to Abdullah.
“I noticed that he was withdrawing because of the pain. He wasn’t talking. He wasn’t himself,” Dr Alsousou said.
“Seeing him come back to the clinic, walking with his dad, was the highlight. It was amazing to see him back to normal after such a significant injury.
“Then, throughout his clinic visits, we watched him regain his function, get back on a bicycle and now return to competition.”
For Abdullah and his father, getting back on the bicycle is no longer the only goal. Mr Al Shamsi is now preparing his son for endurance events and hopes to expand his sporting career into triathlon.
Abdullah has strong endurance and is particularly suited to longer cycling distances of more than 30km, his father said.
Mr Al Shamsi said his son also has some traits on the autism spectrum, particularly a tendency towards repetition, which he believes can be channelled positively into the repetitive training required for endurance sport.
“Some people may see that as a difficulty, but we’re trying to use it as an advantage in sport,” he said.
The family has travelled to Germany to try different training methods and are looking at international competition. One potential target is a Special Olympics competition in Chile, where the altitude would present another challenge.
Mr Al Shamsi said Abdullah would need to be properly prepared and acclimatised before competing there.
But for a father who was once told his son’s abilities were limited, his ambitions for Abdullah extend beyond races, podiums and medals.
