“I’d wake up, brush my teeth, do my morning prayer, then I go get breakfast and head to class,” said Saad Asad, a College of the Canyons Student.
“When I get home, I usually take a nap; I’m always tired. I have a lot of fatigue,” said Asad.
This was the typical routine for 13-year-old Saad Asad until one day, everything changed when he was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, or EDS.
“I was in the hospital for, I think, two weeks exactly, they had to do like surgery and stuff because I had just blood in my outside my organs,” said Asad.
EDS is a condition that weakens joints, skin, and blood vessels. It is a genetic disease that gets progressively worse with age, for Saad, beginning in high school.
“During the readings in high school when I was reading out loud to the class, I love reading the book, but I realize I reached like a physical limit to like how much I can’t speak out loud because my jaw would get tired from me reading. I’ve never had that before. I’d be so talkative,” said Asad.
He also takes on the responsibility of being a role model.
“I watch all my shows from my big brother, so I don’t watch any shows by myself,” said Azlan Asad, Saad’s younger brother.
“He had lots of time for me when he was younger in high school and middle school. But nowadays in college, he gives up his free time for me, which is also why he’s a good big brother,” said Azlan.
Despite life with an invisible condition, Saad faces each day with courage, an invisible reminder that strength can look different on anyone.
“It doesn’t define me, it’s a part of who I am,” said Asad.
