Disabled boy recalls Sultan's careOkaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Abdullah Adel Al-Juraid is only eleven years old. Yet he faces a more challenging obstacle than most of us could ever imagine. He cannot walk. Yet this brave child smiles as he recalls meeting the benevolent Crown Prince who inspired him not to give up. “I'm luckier than most other kids, for on Sept. 17, 2005, the second most important man in the Kingdom received me with a smile; this encouraged me and without hesitation I said: ‘Baba Sultan, I love you',” he recalled. “I didn't find out about the death of Crown Prince Sultan until in class. I restrained my tears, shedding them only when I returned home, so others wouldn't see me crying,” said Al-Juraid, who is now in his sixth grade. A video clip of Abdullah Al-Juraid meeting the Sultan in Hail in 2005 is now doing the rounds over the Internet. The Crown Prince met the boy during the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Disability Center. Adel Al-Juraid, the boy's father, said: “He held back his tears with the same patience and hope the Prince had when he dreamt Abdullah would walk; sadly the Crown Prince died before seeing this dream come true.” When he reached home, Abdullah burst out crying when he saw the picture of the man who had embraced him and promised to help him walk again. The emotions of this boy resemble those of the over 22 million Saudis who are emailing each other the video clip of this touching scene. The video highlights key political and social dimensions but most importantly demonstrates the humanitarian side of the Crown Prince. Adel said about his son: “Abdullah didn't cry in school, but throughout the day his heart was full of sorrow over Prince Sultan's death. I didn't tell him while driving home from school about the Crown Prince's death, but he had already got the news from his teachers and schoolmates.” He recalls the Crown Prince's wish to see Abdullah walk on his own like other children. “But the illness the Crown Prince bravely faced didn't allow him to see this dream come true, despite helping thousands of other citizens' dreams come true in the eight decades of his life,” Adel said. “When we arrived at Prince Sultan's office to greet him, he was busy meeting two European ambassadors. Despite this, he allotted time to meet me and my son Abdullah. It was an unforgettable meeting in our family's memory.” The Crown Prince ordered that Abdullah be treated at his personal expense in Germany and allocated $50,000 as expenses for the journey, which included his family members. However the late Prince Sultan's kind support for the boy Abdullah Al-Juraid and his family did not stop there. He also paid for a second trip to the German capital Berlin for Abdullah to complete treatment. This time he allocated $30,000 as personal expenses. At that time, Abdullah was only 5 years old, but now he is in sixth grade, the final year in primary school. Despite the passage of six years, when Abdullah sees Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz's picture on TV, he lights up saying “Baba Sultan.” But now as we journalists look at Abdullah sadly facing the Crown Prince Sultan's picture, it is impossible for us to hold back our own tears. __
