After being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 10, football-enthusiast Mirza was forced to relinquish his dream of playing football for a more sedately-paced lifestyle in order to curb the risk of seizures. But what had once been a sore point in his life could never measure up to the agony he would later experience at the age of 18, when he awoke the next morning paralysed from a stroke.

Between relearning how to perform basic tasks such as standing, walking and writing, enduring multiple brain surgeries, struggling against the effects of heavy medication and a relapse, Mirza’s life is certainly far from a fairytale. But against all odds, Mirza, through his unwillingness to give up, not only made a miraculous recovery, but he was also blessed with a successful business and a loving family of his own.

This is Mirza’s story of optimi ...