From cerebral palsy to poetry and design: How this Malappuram woman found her wings

On August 31, 1999, Hassan and Sulaikha welcomed their baby girl in Kuttippuram, Malappuram. However, the moment of her birth brought dread rather than joy. The newborn did not cry, and there were no signs of breathing. After tense moments of desperate prayers, she finally gasped for air. It was the first battle of a lifetime for Farsana.

As she grew, her legs remained still while other children took their first steps. When she could neither sit nor stand, her parents received the devastating diagnosis: cerebral palsy. Yet Farsana refused to let her wheelchair define her boundaries, eventually charting an extraordinary journey into the worlds of literature and digital design.

Finding her path through education
Early medical interventions brought slight improvements but could not help her walk. Attending a regular school was a monumental challenge, and Farsana could neither write exams nor attend school regularly until Class 4.

Her life took a turn in Class 5 when she joined NI UP School, Kazhuthallur. The headmaster, Bari Master, and Rekha Teacher from the Block Resource Centre (BRC) became her guiding lights. Rekha Teacher visited her home under the home-based education scheme, offering not just lessons but also the wings to dream. It was in Class 5 that Farsana wrote her first school examination.

Later, during high school at Kuttippuram GHS, Farsana studied from home for Classes 8, 9 and 10. However, in Class 10, she experienced the joy of classroom learning firsthand, attending school regularly for an entire month alongside her peers. With the assistance of a scribe, she cleared her secondary school examinations with 59% marks.

Her home tutor, Mumtaz Teacher, gradually became more than an educator; she became Farsana's closest confidante. Farsana went on to complete her higher secondary education in the humanities stream at Kuttippuram Higher Secondary School, scoring 72% in Plus One and 63% in Plus Two.

Pursuing higher education on campus was physically impossible, so she enrolled in a distance-learning BA programme in Sociology at the University of Calicut.

“My college years opened up a beautiful world of friendships. My friends became my extended family, helping me with everything I needed, while my mother remained my constant pillar of strength,” Farsana recalls. She successfully graduated in 2024.

Words of a silent butterfly
Around the age of 12 or 13, Farsana underwent surgery. Although it brought some physical improvement, she eventually had to accept that she would remain wheelchair-bound.

Embracing her solitude, she found solace in poetry and art, pouring her deepest emotions and life experiences onto paper. Her moving verses caught the attention of her BRC teacher. This led Najeeb and the team at Kuttippuram Palliative Care to compile and publish her first collection of Malayalam poetry, titled Mounam Punarnna Shalabhachirakukal, in December 2017.

“My physical body has limitations, but the dreams in my mind have never had any boundaries,” Farsana says with a smile.

Designing a future in the digital world
With her studies behind her, Farsana's next goal was financial independence. She secured a role with Bengaluru-based Enable India, an organisation that works to empower persons with disabilities. Although she had to leave the job because her typing speed was not sufficient to meet strict deadlines, the experience proved transformative.

The spoken English training and professional exposure she received greatly boosted her confidence.

Determined to find an alternative, Farsana taught herself graphic design using Canva through YouTube tutorials. Armed with a smartphone and her creative instincts, she launched an Instagram page, Designs Autography, through which she now offers poster designs and social media creatives.

Farsana is determined to scale the venture into a sustainable source of income.

Endless dreams and journeys
With the help of her friends, Farsana has explored scenic destinations such as Kozhikode Beach and Mini Ooty. But she is far from done.

“I have my challenges, but I also have big hopes. I want to build a substantial income through Canva designing so that I can live a self-reliant life. I want to be recognised as an independent earner,” she says confidently.

By refusing to let her circumstances confine her to four walls, Farsana has carved out a life defined by creativity, determination and hope. Her journey stands as a testament to resilience and the possibilities that emerge when physical limitations do not become limitations of the mind.