Ayoub's turning point from disability to success

Ayoub Al-Harbi, one of the 23rd graduates of Qassim University, told his inspiring story of disability, illness, patience and perseverance over the years, until he was able to achieve his dream of graduating from the university, stressing that his medical journey, during which he underwent 18 surgeries inside and outside the Kingdom, was the turning point in his life, and made him choose the path of medicine and surgery to be a reason to treat people like him with motor disabilities.

Ayoub said: "At one point in my life, I thought I would be a burden on society, but every time I entered the operating room, my mother - God rest her soul - would point to the orthopedic surgeon and say, 'Someday you will be like him: One day you will be like him," Ayoub said, explaining that these words were the biggest motivation for him to become an orthopedic surgeon.

Ayoub spoke about the challenges he faced in his life and how he overcame them, during the graduation ceremony of the 23rd batch of graduates of Qassim University, which was sponsored by His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Faisal bin Meshal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz, Emir of Qassim Region, on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, in the presence of His Highness Prince Fahd bin Saad bin Faisal bin Saad, Deputy Emir of Qassim Region, University President Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Sharekh, a number of university vice presidents, directors of government agencies in the region, graduates and their families.

Ayoub explained that he was born with two disabilities, the first being a developmental hip dislocation and the second being a focal hip deficiency, noting that his disability brought him closer to understanding the suffering of patients and people with special needs than others, saying: "My disability made me understand the patient's feeling before I became a doctor, and my experience made me an experimenter before I became a doctor." He added that from the first day he enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at Qassim University, he found a prepared educational environment that believes in his abilities and aims to graduate a successful doctor despite his motor disability.

Ayoub Al-Harbi concluded his speech with a touching message to people with disabilities and everyone who goes through challenges in his life, stressing that disability does not stop ambition, and that it is the path of challenges that makes success, saying: "Today I proved to everyone - especially people with special needs - that they are able to achieve their dreams with determination and diligence, and I am proud that I was able, despite the difficulties, to fulfill the dream of my mother - God rest her soul - and say thank you to my country, my university, and everyone who supported me during this long journey."