A local man is using his life story to be the inspiration behind a new comic book.
At just 20 years old, Mohammad Sayed has stories to tell, both of terror and triumph.
When he was 5-years-old, growing up in Afghanistan, his mother passed away.
Days later, a bomb hit his home and he was left paralyzed from the chest down.
His father took him to the hospital, and never came back.
“Struggle and loss happens to real people,” Sayed told NBC Boston. “From my experience, living in Afghanistan, in developing countries, young people are hidden behind a wall of shame and prejudice just because they’re in a wheelchair.”
And so he set about to change perceptions and transform attitudes, creating a comic book that features a superhero in a wheelchair. He hopes the comic book will reach young people especially in the disabled community.
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“If you end up in a wheelchair, you can still achieve all your dreams,” said Sayed. “Just like anybody else, that’s the message. Don’t let physical appearance stick in the way of your dreams.”
With some help from the Nixon Peabody Law Firm, a launch party to celebrate the new comic book and its star character named “Wheelchair Man” took place Thursday night.
“The goal is to basically make people in wheelchairs empowered,” said Sayed.
The comic book will be available to purchase next month.
Sayed, who lives in Watertown, is already working on other characters who will also aim to inspire and change lives.
