Qatari teen with only a quarter of a body inspires followers online

A 14-year-old Qatari teenager who was born with only quarter of a body has close to 900,000 followers on Instagram as he documents his life on the social media site.

Ghanim al-Muftah, whose mother said in an earlier interview that she did not want to undergo an abortion when the doctor told her that one of her twins – him - had serious issues, is busy publishing Instagram videos and photos of him enjoying his challenging life.

With smiles always on a face, Muftah shares on Instagram a variety of his antics and has many pictures with the well-known and famous.

In one picture, he shares a picture of Kuwaiti Emir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah giving him a fatherly kiss on the cheek, and in one video, he is seen jumping on his bed and later showcasing his dexterous somersault technique.

Muftah garnered thousands of views - and widespread admiration – in April, when he shared his “first climbing” adventure going uphill to the peak of the Jebel Shams mountain in Oman, considered to be the highest in the Arabian Gulf countries.

The hike on the mountain, in northwestern Oman, is roughly 10 kilometers uphill.

Last year, he won a UAE award for being an Arab youth pioneer on social media.

He is said to have launched a non-profit group to give wheelchairs to those in need and has authored a book about his experience.

In a recent interview, he said “there are people who can’t do a thing, thank God, I can swim, I can dive. Why should I sweat over things that I can’t do?” spilling the beans for his secret on keeping himself positive and happy.