Life tried to block him at every turn. Then he found the support of Tri-Citians

Hassan Yusuph has had every reason to feel sour.

He was paralyzed as a child. He endured violence and discrimination.

Some called him a disgrace from God.

Yet, the 35-year-old never seems to give up.

“I don’t show people I have problems. People will be in a bad mood, but me — I’m more smiling,” Yusuph said. “I was taught that way. Smiling and being happy, you increase your days of living.”

In a way, it defies logic.

The Somalia native suffered in the East African country’s civil war, ending up alone on a refugee’s journey.

Then earlier this month, as he was starting to flourish in his new home in the Tri-Cities, he was dealt another blow.

Another driver ran a red light and smashed into his car on Highway 395, near West 27th Avenue.

His Mitsubishi Galant — outfitted with special hand controls — was demolished and his wheelchair damaged , threatening his hard-won independence.

No bones were broken, but he was banged up and still is in pain. Still, that smiles remains.

The toughest hit was the loss of his car. Both Yusuph and the other driver were insured, but the settlement isn’t expected be enough to replace his car.

“It’s so stressful right now,” he said.

Yusuph was born to a single mother in southeast Somalia. When he was 4, he became sick and developed spinal stenosis, losing use of his legs.

It was a hard road ahead. His disability was seen as a curse from God and discrimination kept him from attending school, he said.

When he was 12, he and his mother went to stay with family in Kenya and he started taking classes.

He wound up in a Salvation Army school for children with disabilities. He did well, acing his studies and learning to be self-sufficient, he said.

But when he was in his early 20s, he returned to Somalia — and more hardship followed.

In his home country, “my family was targeted by members of a different clan fighting for control of the area,” he wrote in a narrative shared with the Herald. “One of my aunts was shot and our house was burned down. Several of my family members were killed, and the attackers threatened the rest of my family should we return.”

By then, Yusuph was married. He and his wife fled to Kenya, staying with her family.

But her family rejected him because he was paraplegic, he said. So he ended up on his own, living as a refugee in South Africa.

It was a lean and challenging time. Yusuph had little and he was vulnerable.

He did find a new passion. He began participating in para-sports, excelling especially in wheelchair racing and hand-cycling.

A grant from the Challenged Athletes Foundation helped him get a racing chair.

In about 2015, Yusuph arrived in the U.S. as a refugee, settling in the Tri-Cities with help from the local office of World Relief.

He continued racing here, making friends in the athletic community.

He also made another important connection — with the company Permobil, maker of wheelchairs.

Yusuph knew of Permobil and its chairs, but he didn’t know it had a location in Pasco. He got a tour and began giving input.

The company hooked him up with his own TiLite chair. It was a special moment.

“I got the best chair in the world,” he said. “I was like, ‘Wow. I’m nobody, but look at what chair I use.’ Whenever I pass (by on) the highway, I show my friends — that’s where my chair is made. They don’t understand what’s the meaning of this chair. This chair is an extension of me. I know it’s the best chair in the world.”

Last year, Yusuph also started a job with Permobil, working in parts. He loves it and the feeling seems to be mutual.

“As a chair user, his perspective is really important. He’s been fantastic. He’s incredibly knowledgeable about the product,” said John Roach, a Permobil vice president.

Plus, there’s that smile. Yusuph has “a really sunny disposition” that’s uplifting, Roach said.

Yusuph bought his now-totaled car with help from his Kennewick mosque. And Bethel Church in Richland provided money for the hand controls. It took him to work, to races. It helped him build a life here.

Mobility is something many people take for granted, Roach said. “What we realize (at Permobil), I think, more than a lot of folks, is that people’s mobility is everything. For someone like Hassan, who’s gotten himself established in this country, who got a job, got a vehicle that’s modified so he can drive it — that independence is so hard-fought,” he said.

“It’s the most American thing in the world, in a way, for someone to do what he’s done. To have that taken away from him is a pretty big blow,” Roach said.

Yusuph should have more to smile about soon. His co-workers at Permobil are raising money to help him through the hard time.

He’s grateful to them for starting the fundraiser. He’s grateful for the help.

“When you have a problem sometimes you have to accept it when people care about you,” he said. “I’m so grateful they’re there for me. I have no other words than to say, ‘God bless them.’”

To chip in, go to gofundme.com/52p4c-regain-independence.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Life tried to block him at every turn. Then he found the support of Tri-Citians."