Julie and Hamou have been in a wheelchair since a car accident. This did not prevent them from starting a family. An exceptional lesson in courage!
It is a beautiful message of hope that Julie and Hamou Aïbout want to transmit. And yet, life has not always been kind to them … In a wheelchair for two (ed. Robert Laffont), they share with us their incredible journey of life. Le 23 December 2000, Hamou, 20 years old, a car accident on leaving nightclub. He wakes up seventeen days later in the hospital to learn that he has suffered extensive damage to his spine. The doctor tells him that his chances of walking again are almost zero, but the young man hears only one thing: “You will be able to work, get married and travel.”
“It was as if he had told me that I was going to be able to walk again. By doing rehabilitation, I understood that it would not be the case, but I had only one goal: to get my life back. where she left off “, remembers Hamou. Julie’s accident took place on July 14, 2003. The same morning, the 19-year-old young woman had a strange feeling. “I dozed off and when I woke up I was sure I would not be coming back to this apartment.” Unfortunately, what follows proves him right …
Julie and Hamou: she approached the young man to talk about his chair!
That evening, the car driven by a friend hit a bridge before rolling several times. Julie is severely injured. The doctor tells her that she is unlikely to walk again. But the young woman does not give up so far. “I lived from day to day. I set myself goals to regain my independence. When I arrived at the rehabilitation center, there were young people like me who were beautiful and who had a family life. more afraid.” Julie and Hamou meet in 2005 in a shopping center. It’s Julie who approaches him to talk about his chair. But the story does not last: Hamou promises to recall the young woman … and will do so only seven years later.
“I was the field rat and he was the city rat. We were too out of step”, explains Julie. During these long years, Hamou experienced significant health problems which required hospitalizations. “I was in pain both physically and psychologically. If I hadn’t called Julie back, I would have let myself slip.” For her part, Julie becomes pregnant after a passing adventure. “I always told myself that what was happening in my life made sense. As soon as I knew I was pregnant, it was my baby.” And she gave birth to Manon on September 10, 2009.
It was at the hospital, in August 2013, that Hamou made his marriage proposal.
In March 2012, Hamou contacted her again. “My phone didn’t work anymore, he recalls. I had found an old one and when I turned it on again, I saw Julie’s number. I had a feeling of well-being then. . When I went to Julie and Manon’s, I had the impression of having left the day before. ” The two young people pick up their story where they left off, and will never leave each other. It was at the hospital, in August 2013, that Hamou made his marriage proposal.
“It was a second life, even a third life that was beginning for me. Before, I lived without projecting myself. But thanks to Julie, I needed to see further.” The lovers then decide to create a family, but they will have to go through long months of hardship before seeing their dream come true. The couple undergoes their first in vitro fertilization (IVF) in January 2014 which ends in a miscarriage. “I did it again right away, but it failed. We then quit for a year, because I couldn’t take it anymore.”, remembers Julie.
“I did more things while in a wheelchair than if I had remained able-bodied”
But the young couple does not lose hope: “We launched an adoption procedure which was accepted. It made me want to try the experience again. In September 2015, we had one last IVF and, at the time of the implantation, I knew that ‘she was going to walk “, continues the young mother. Yanis was born on June 2, 2016. Then the twins, Sarha and Riyadh, will follow in December 2018.
Since then, the large family has lived like everyone else. “Disability does not come into play. We have a preteen who looks a lot, a 5 year old who moves all the time, and two babies who need a lot of attention. We don’t have enough time for ourselves, but it’s still a joy on a daily basis, smiles Julie. I did more things in a wheelchair than if I had remained able-bodied. Proof that life does not end with a difficulty! “
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