An Emirati surfer is dreaming of making waves at the Tokyo Olympic Games this year after undergoing a life-changing operation.
Mohammad Hassan, 33, feared he may never be able to play sport again when he was told his colon needed to be removed after a 15-year battle with ulcerative colitis, a serious bowel condition.
But after a recent successful procedure at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, he is out to prove there are no limits to what you can achieve.
His chronic condition forced him to give up his first love of rugby, a sport in which he represented his country, leading to a sporting conversion to surfing.
I've been quite emotional taking in this newfound freedom
The most common symptoms of his ailment include abdominal pain, recurrent or bloody diarrhoea, weight loss and fatigue.
"I was struggling a lot. My colitis wasn't under control at all and I was going to the bathroom 15 to 20 times a day," said Hassan, who visited doctors around the globe in an effort to improve his quality of life.
"I had to stop playing rugby because I would need to leave the field and let my team down during games.
"My condition really controlled my life, I had to plan everything I did around having a toilet near by. There were so many things I couldn’t do.”
On the advice of a friend who also suffers from ulcerative colitis, Hassan visited Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi to seek help.
His care team recommended a colonoscopy to monitor his colon for signs of cancer. Patients with ulcerative colitis are at a higher risk of developing the disease, particularly if their condition is not under control.
"During a routine follow-up for a patient with ulcerative colitis, a colonoscopy revealed pre-cancerous cells in Mohammad's colon," said Dr Zaher Koutoubi, a consultant gastroenterologist at the hospital.
"It was established that he should be referred for a total colectomy. In addition to stopping the cancer in its tracks, this would effectively cure his colitis, eliminating his symptoms.”
With his colon removed, the avid sportsman passes solid waste through a stoma in his abdomen that connects to a waterproof pouch called an ostomy bag.
Doctors plan to carry out two more operations to restore Hassan's bowel function by constructing a "J pouch" that will eliminate his need for a stoma or ostomy bag, allowing him to use the toilet normally again.
"The past few months have been a real rollercoaster for me. When I first heard I needed surgery, I thought I might have to give up playing sports," said Hassan.
"Now, I want to show people there are plenty of sports you can join, no matter your ability level. I played underwater hockey, golf and even went freediving.
"No matter what, you can play any sport you want – even with a stoma.”
Hassan is now enjoying a sense of freedom so many take for granted.
“I wish I’d done this surgery a long time ago. My life has changed completely. Yes, I am adapting to life with a bag now but there are so many things I can do now I never did before," he said.
"I had a coffee while going for a walk, I’ve gone on a long bike ride and even went for a hike. I’d never done these things before because I always had to be near a restroom. I’ve been quite emotional taking in this newfound freedom.”
Life has put him on a different sporting path than he first imagined – and now a journey to Olympic glory is in his sights.
His next challenge will be an international surfing competition in South America.
"Adapting to the bag wasn't easy, but I've been able to lie on my board and get back to surfing. I was hesitant to do it with my stoma but that fear was all in my head," he said.
"After my surgery, I want to push my surfing to the next level. I’ve done 55-foot waves and I’m going to go bigger."
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
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AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
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The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
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Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
