AJMAN // Rabah Abdelrahman will remember 2010 as the year he almost lost his right foot.
The 55-year-old Jordanian was told by three doctors that the black spot on the bottom of his foot meant that gangrene had set in, and that an amputation was inevitable.
"I just couldn't accept it, so I kept going from doctor to doctor, trying to find someone who would offer me another alternative," he said.
After 27 years of living with diabetes - 24 of those in the UAE - Mr Abdelrahman, who runs a tourism company in Ajman, thought he had good control of his condition.
"I read a lot about diabetes and about all the complications that it can cause if I don't control my blood sugar level, but I never really paid attention to my feet."
In 2005, he began losing the sight in his left eye. "It started with blurred vision, and ended with surgery. I'm OK now, but with diabetes, you never know when it will strike."
Two months ago, it struck again when he stepped on a pin. He developed a callus, which he treated with rubbing alcohol, but it soon grew more painful and he developed a limp. Pills, antibiotics and creams all failed to prevent a black spot the size of a dirham. Finally he went to the Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research at Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, where Dr Timothy Fisher was able to treat and save his foot.
He was also taught to check his feet daily, to stop by the clinic every two days for three weeks to get his dressings changed, to make sure his feet were always rubbed dry after ablution and to check regularly for scratches or injuries. He also stopped wearing his usual slippers, opting for medical shoes instead.
Now, as the honorary president for Ajman's diabetes volunteer association, Mr Abdelrahman has begun planning a series of lectures, to teach others how to live long lives with complication-free diabetes.
"I have had diabetes for 27 years - I am sure no one in the UAE has had diabetes as long as me, so I have to be extra careful," he said. "These feet need to last me a lifetime."
hkhalaf@thenational.ae
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
