zozosabiru
Autism and Rainbows in My Head
A Biography by Nawfal "Sabiru" Natalegawa
Hello. I'm Nawfal, or Sabiru, if you prefer.
This is not a story about grand victories or a neatly paved road through life. It's a story about living between storms and rainbows. About navigating a world that often feels too loud, too bright, too much. And about slowly finding my place within it.
I was born barely able to cry.
G6PD, the doctor said. A rare condition that left my life hanging by a thread from my very first breath. A specialist was flown in from Australia. He didn't arrive with miracles, only knowledge and precise timing. That was enough. And from that moment on, my life began, already unfolding in its own unconventional way.
This book is not only about autism.
It is about how I experience the world, or more truthfully, how the world collides with me without warning. Sounds arrive all at once, like a runaway train. Light cuts through me, sharp and unforgiving. Words sometimes get trapped, with no clear exit.
While other children chased balls, I followed the movement of shadows.
While laughter filled the air, I covered my ears.
It wasn't that I hated sound. I simply didn't know how to separate it, how to make sense of it.
Through these pages, I invite you to step inside my mind, just for a moment. You may feel out of place. You may feel overwhelmed.
But perhaps, if you stay long enough, you'll discover that even after the fiercest storms, rainbows still find a way to appear.