Magura’s ‘Wonder Boy’ Fahim no more

Fahim-ul Karim, the “wonder boy” of Magura, who became self-reliant by working as a freelancer after overcoming his physical disability, has died from a severe type of muscular dystrophy.

Fahim died at Faridpur Medical College Hospital at 10:45 pm Wednesday. He had fallen ill earlier in the day, Family sources said.

Doctors at the hospital said Fahim was suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).

Fahim’s father Rezaul Karim said in a tearful voice that it was all over. “If Fahim could have been given advanced treatment outside the country, his physical condition would have been a little better even if he was not completely healthy. But due to lack of money I could not do it.”

Fahim, 22, lost muscle function in his entire body, leaving only his head and two fingers of his right hand unaffected. Despite his disability, he used to earn Tk50,000 a month through freelance work and brought back prosperity to his family.

His achievements earned him a laptop as a gift from the State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Junaid Ahmed Palak.

Fahim had achieved success by overcoming obstacles and using the indomitable power of talent. He became a role model for many young people as a successful freelancer with strong morale, strong will and talent. 

In 2016, he bought a laptop with the help of others, private tuition money and a loan from a bank. After that, he learned various freelance jobs from internet tutorials. 

Then he started looking for work on Fiverr, an online marketplace for freelance services.

From then on, Fahim did not have to look back. At first, he started working with banners and business cards and later moved on to various other kinds of work. Fahim, a popular freelancer, had work from 30 to 35 countries around the world.