Interviewer: ElZahraa Rashad

 A special kind of heroine. In addition to her athletic excellence as a player and coach, she was able to overcome a rare immune disease and became a wife and mother of two children. We had this interview with her.

 First, we want an identification card for you?

 Iman Abdel Nabi Ismail El-Gammal, I am 41 years old, a Hebrew literature graduate. I currently work as Assistant General Manager of Petrosport Marketing Company

 And when did you start weapon sports?

 I started when I was six years old. My sister, the champion Shaima El-Gammal, started before me. There are three types of gun sports: epee weapons, sword weapons, and fencing weapons. I specialize in epee weapons.
 

How did your upbringing affect your practice of sports in general, and of epee in particular?
I grew up in an athletic family; My father was a professor of physical education at Helwan University, specializing in tennis. He was also a commentator on well-known tennis matches. My father - may God have mercy on him - supported us in practicing sports, and he was a very important factor in our lives. We initially started gymnastics and swimming. What made me choose the sport of epee is that my aunt used to practice this sport, and my aunt’s friend, Mrs. Souad Rashad – was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Gun Club at the time - who was located in the Ataba area, which encouraged me to choose this particular game.
 
 
What are the most prominent championships and titles you achieved?

 I achieved African and Arab championships, won many international championships and titles, and participated in two Olympic Games: the Beijing 2008 Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. I retired after that, and it was my choice to retire while I was at my peak and I was a champion. In 2013, I began training and international arbitration in addition to Participating in organizing international tournaments in my game; Where I was in the competitions committee of the Egyptian Arms Federation.
 
 

Your diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, known as MS, was a turning point in your life. How did you manage to face this disease and overcome it?

It took a long time to diagnose my illness. I presented my case to many doctors, more than 15, and traveled to France and Austria until I was sure that I had the disease. In the early stages of my discovery of the disease, my symptoms began to increase, so I was isolated at home for many months. I was away from my work, training, and refereeing, and even visiting was prohibited. At that time, the disease was not as widespread as it is today, so I felt like my life had stopped completely.

  
What are the most prominent symptoms of the disease?

 The symptoms vary from person to person, but the common symptoms are imbalance, tingling, severe headache, heaviness in one or both hands and one half of the lips, tingling in one half of the face, and blurred vision. At the beginning of my illness, I had an attack and had to take a dose of cortisone, which made me gain weight and negatively affected my psyche. My mother was the one who helped me to move, my sister took care of the X-rays and analyses, and my friends at work and in sports were all supporting me. I was allowed to receive guests again, and life began to return to normal, thank God. I decided to learn to live with the disease and accept it, praise be to God
 
 There are a group of prohibitions that are prohibited for patients with multiple sclerosis. What are the most prominent of them?
 
Indeed, we are forbidden from being exposed to heat, forbidden from being exposed to nervous pressure, forbidden from getting emotional, and forbidden from practicing violent sports that are stressful and exhausting, other than simple sports that are very important for patients with multiple sclerosis, such as walking and other simple exercises.

You got married and gave birth.. How were you able to start a family and raise children in such a wonderful way despite all the circumstances and challenges?
 
I met my husband at work, and I was honest with him regarding my illness. He had to know my whole story. I was afraid of pregnancy, but thank God, when I was pregnant with my second child, the research had progressed and I was able to take the injections while I was pregnant, unlike with my first child. Praise be to God, pregnancy hormones naturally prevent any attacks of the disease. Raising children and the responsibility of marriage is not easy, especially with the disease, but I do what I can. My husband supports me a lot, especially when I`m tired, and that`s how I`m able to keep going
 
 
You started a campaign to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis on social media. Tell us about this campaign, its idea, and its goal?

I started my campaign a year ago. I had been thinking about starting it earlier, but my father died from COVID-19 and then I had an attack. I was depressed and discouraged for a while, but then life resumed and I went back to the idea of the campaign. I filmed a video and posted it online, and received positive feedback, which encouraged me to continue. I found that many people were asking me about doctors who specialize in treating this disease and about pregnancy and childbirth with the disease. I started explaining to them how the treatment has evolved since I was diagnosed in 2013. My vision is to educate my followers about this disease and its symptoms, and to attend any events related to this topic without going into any medical details, because that is not my specialty.

What are your future ambitions?

My ambitions for my children are to become the best children, and to see them as righteous and distinguished morally, religiously, and scientifically.