MUHAMMAD Ashraf Muhammad Haisham will forever remember the day, Jan 12, 2013.
It was the day he lost his left arm. Ashraf was involved in a motorcycle accident as he and his friends were on their way home from Pangkor Island to Lumut, Perak.
Doctors could not save his arm which was 90 per cent severed.
Ashraf, who was 17 at the time, admitted that he struggled to deal with the situation and he felt ashamed to go out in public.
Born left-handed, it took six months for him to learn to write with his right hand prior to sitting for his SPM examinations.
After his exams were over, a teacher from his school, SMK Batu Sepuluh Sitiawan, Perak encouraged him to take up sports.
Ashraf said he found it tough to balance himself at first and also struggled with injuries. He fractured his ankle twice.
His hard work, however, paid off as the Manjung-born bagged a gold and a silver in the men's T46 800m and 1,500m events at the Singapore Asean Para Games two years ago.
"It (Singapore) was my Para Games debut and I had no idea I would be able to win the gold and set a new games record in the 800m," said Ashraf.
"Having won a gold and a silver in Singapore, I want to do better this time and win gold in both events."
The athletics event at the Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games will be held from Sept 18-22 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil with 133 gold on offer.
Translated from Berita Harian