“I want to tell the person with a disability, don’t let it stop you."

Iraqi pharmacist-turned-athlete and TV presenter Zainab Al-Eqabi was just seven years old when she suffered a horrific accident, after an undetonated bomb exploded in her garden in Baghdad. Al-Eqabi later set up Disabled and Proud on Facebook; “I wanted to break that barrier between myself and society.” 

Speaking to Vogue Arabia in 2021, Zainab stated; “My father would always tell me that he wanted me to be strong and not depend on anyone. He was worried to see me grow up in a society where there would always be questions about my abilities. He encouraged me to not let anyone underestimate me.” 

Zainab Al-Eqabi has completed triathlons in the UAE, hauled a 2000 kg Jeep for the Dubai Fitness Challenge, regularly scuba dives, is an ambassador for prosthetics manufacturer Ottobock, is the first amputee to present a TV show in the Middle East and has also made the front cover of Vogue.