At the age of 17, Mona Al Hamed went on a beautiful journey with her family to enjoy time in nature, not knowing that this journey would change her life. She was involved in an serious accident that resulted in her being left paralyzed. Afterwards, she travelled to Germany for treatment and rehabilitation, where she learnt how to be independent without needing assistance from others.

Mona did not let this stop her achieve her dreams. Initially she went to study philosophy at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) but always had a strong desire to study medicine so she later transferred to the College of Medicine and Health Science at UAEU. Hearing others saying, “If you cannot treat yourself, how would you treat others”, made her even stronger and pushed her to prove to herself that she could do it. She was surprised to find studying medicine was easier than she thought it would be.

When patients at hospital see her moving around in her wheelchair to check on them, she unknowingly give them some needed hope. There are those suffering from difficult conditions who think that life has shut the doors on them, but Mona made them see things in a new light. She has a strong faith and believes that nothing is impossible and that we can achieve whatever we aspire to be.

Some people thought Mona would suffer depression after the accident. However, Mona said, “Everyone has the right to live, and we should not look down at people with a disability. Positive thinking helps us have high self-esteem and enables us to take responsibility and hone our skills required to be able to face all challenges and achieve our goals”.

Sport is an essential part of her life. She is still practicing swimming, the sport she likes the most along with archery and kayaking. She also loves reading and travels with her family to different countries around the world.

She is a fully independent student. She lives in a university hostel on her own. She likes studying and in her spare time, she goes to the university's Special Abilities Club, to help other students.