Asael Shabo is a true hero and an inspiration. In 2002, when Asael was 9 years old, terrorists broke into his family home in Itamar and opened fire on his family. His mother and three of his brothers were killed. A bullet hit Asael in his knee, shattering it completely. He nearly bled to death as he played dead so the terrorists would pass him by. When help came, they could not save his leg. It had to be amputated.

Soon after the attack, Asael started coming to the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled and like all new participants, he started swimming. Asael was a natural at all sports but truly excelled in swimming. Over the next nine years, he broke several Israeli swimming records in multiple categories. However, Asael found his true passion in wheelchair basketball. He stopped swimming and exerted all his drive and passion into mastering the game.

Asael recently completed two years of playing professional wheelchair basketball in Hamburg, Germany and was one of the team’s star players. Today he is married, lives in Israel, and works at ISCD in many capacities. Most important, he is a true role model for all the young athletes at the Center.