That was a super tough call, to pick for the last letter. I believe in the power of story telling and these two women are two of the most powerful story tellers that I've listened to in my life. They fought against life and now their stories have changed lives.
Gazal's story got my eyes shedding tears. Born and groomed as a boy, Gazal at 25 said, "For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt, without even a fragment of doubt, that I was a girl." The discrepancy in how she was perceived by the world and more importantly, how she perceived herself made living in her body a prison she had no way out of. In 2007, she underwent Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and described the feeling not as being overjoyed or enthusiastic but as finally feeling at ‘peace’, because what was always meant to happen had happened. Ever since then, Gazal has been very vocal about her journey and her transition. I'll never forget these lines, "Stories can change hearts, stories can save lives."
Minuba Mazari, fondly called the iron lady of Pakistan, at 21,as left paralyzed from the hip down after surviving a tragic car accident. Her backbone was crushed and she sustained multiple fractures to her arm, shoulder, ribs and collarbone. Doctors told her that she would be unable to walk, paint, or give birth; this left her devastated and questioning her existence in the world. “You know, when you end up being on the wheelchair, what’s the most painful thing. People think that they will not be accepted by the people because we in the world perfect people are imperfects. So I decided to appear more in public.” Mazari said this about her accident,“…that day I decided that I’m going to live life for myself. I am not going to be that perfect person for someone. I am just going to take this moment and I will make it perfect for myself, that I’m going to fight my fears.” Her talk about how came to terms with her new purpose while being confined to a bed for two years is moving.
If you haven't watched their talks yet, do it right now. Right now.