--- title: CoolKid Ismail description: Six year old Ismail suffered from painful and limited mobility - until he visited our program with Diversity Action Network in Somaliland! image: https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Ismail_2022_1.jpg --- Toggle navigation ![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icons-mobile-menu.png) [![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/LOGO_ALTSO_White.png)](https://www.altso.org/) ![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icons-close.png) - [Who We Are.](https://www.altso.org/) - [Why Mobility?](https://www.altso.org/whymobility) - [Our Work.](https://www.altso.org/ourwork) - [CoolKid Stories.](https://www.altso.org/coolkids) - [Take Action.](https://www.altso.org/takeaction) - [CoolKids Club.](https://www.altso.org/ckc) - [Rocktoberfest.](https://www.altso.org/rocktoberfest) - [The Community Blog.](https://thecommunity.altso.org/) - [Donate.](https://www.altso.org/donate) - [![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icons-facebook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/alegtostandon) - [![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icons-instagram.png)](http://instagram.com/alegtostandon) - [![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icons-linkedin.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-leg-to-stand-on) - [![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icons-twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/ALegToStandOn) - [![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Blog/icon-vimeo.png)](https://vimeo.com/user8076691) The Community. ![](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Ismail_2022_1.jpg) ###### March 25, 2022 # CoolKid Ismail Author: ALTSO Staff Meet CoolKid Ismail, a six year old from Somaliland. For the entirety of his life, Ismail has lived with painful and limited mobility. He struggled to stand, let alone walk. Ismail's parents, a carpenter and a housewife, faced many sleepless nights, torn on how to help their eldest child on their meagre income. They feared for the future that awaited him unless they were able to find treatment. Luckily, last year, Ismail's parents learned of our partnership with Diversity Action Network in Hargesia, Somailiand, and brought their son in for a consultation. Ismail was assessed by DAN's physiotherapy team and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.   ![Ismail_2022_2](https://thecommunity.altso.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Ismail_2022_2.jpg?width=5152&name=Ismail_2022_2.jpg) After diagnosis, Ismail was fit with custom Knee-Ankle-Foot-Orthosis  (KAFO) to help support his weak lower limbs. With these orthoses, Ismail stood up for the first time and started to take his first steps! Ismail's family was ecstatic. The future they had feared for their son would no longer be an issue. Ismail's dream of going to school, just like his siblings, is one day closer to becoming a reality. Thanks to your continued support, we'll continue providing Ismail with the custom orthotics he'll need to maintain his mobility as he grows, and all the opportunities mobility provides. On behalf of Ismail, and his family, thank you! [![Donate](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6749729/58771177-068e-467c-b3ad-76724ea09cd2.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6749729/58771177-068e-467c-b3ad-76724ea09cd2)    *Provide a CoolKid - like Ismail - with a life-changing mobility treatment. Mobility improves self-esteem, provides access to education, future employment, and the chance to live self-sufficiently. One simple treatment will transform the life of a CoolKid and break the cycle of poverty they were born into.* ### ALTSO Staff [← Back to posts](https://thecommunity.altso.org) ### Recent Posts. ### Categories. - [Our Impact: CoolKid Stories (46)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/our-impact-coolkid-stories) - [Rocktoberfest (24)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/rocktoberfest) - [Press Releases (19)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/press-releases) - [Program Updates (19)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/program-updates) - [Meet ALTSO (11)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/meet-altso) - [NextGen Club (9)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/nextgen-club) - [ALTSO Ambassadors (6)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/altso-ambassadors) - [Fundraisers & Events (6)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/fundraisers-events) - [Partnerships (4)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/partnerships) - [ALTSO UK (1)](https://thecommunity.altso.org/tag/altso-uk) [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6749729/c00edccc-f8e9-4eca-9e2a-f833082df776.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6749729/c00edccc-f8e9-4eca-9e2a-f833082df776) [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/6749729/18f7dbf7-96d9-4b3d-8765-15c37c83997a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6749729/18f7dbf7-96d9-4b3d-8765-15c37c83997a) A Leg To Stand On, Inc. is a US Based 501(C)3 EIN 02-0594709 & UK Based Charity 1118048 ©2026 - - - - [About us.](https://www.altso.org/aboutus) [Financials.](https://www.altso.org/financials) [Brand Partners.](https://www.altso.org/partner) [Videos.](https://vimeo.com/user8076691) [The Community Blog.](https://thecommunity.altso.org/) [Privacy.](https://www.altso.org/aboutus#privacypolicy) [Get our emails.](https://www.altso.org/getouremails) [Contact us.](https://www.altso.org/contactus) [Donate.](https://www.altso.org/donate) ## [View our Accreditations](https://www.altso.org/aboutus#accreditations) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "ALTSO Staff", "url" : "https://thecommunity.altso.org/author/altso-staff" }, "dateModified" : "2022-05-24T20:20:13.822Z", "datePublished" : "2022-03-25T17:03:39.000Z", "headline" : "CoolKid Ismail", "image" : [ "https://thecommunity.altso.org/hubfs/Ismail_2022_1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://thecommunity.altso.org/coolkid-ismail", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "A Leg To Stand On" } } ```