"Hello English for Egypt" student book, the title that serves as a basic reference for all international schools and an integral part of every student’s education, highlighted in its latest edition the inspiring journey of Anwar El Kamony, renowned tennis player and cancer survivor Founder of hope giver campaign who has become a hero to humanity and an inspiration to millions.
Elkamony was born in Egypt to a tight-knit and large family, where hard work, dedication, and additional core human values have been passed along through generations.
A sportsman at an early age, he played soccer at a high level throughout high school, but a severe foot injury forced him to put an end to practicing and playing.
Elkamony, an American University in Cairo graduate, found that energy and focus had to be transferred onto a new field.
In 2004, he found his passion in Tennis at the age of 21 and had a clear vision of taking the game to a higher level than when he was a soccer player. His ultimate goal: is to become a professional tennis player.
Elkamony sat foot and racquets at Bruguera Tennis Academy, Spain, where he met the coach and former top ATP player Fernando Luna, who was surprised by the level that had reached in such a short time.
Coaches in the academy acknowledged him for “being a working machine, as well as speed in his movements, forehand accuracy, repetitive shot’s ability, being strong on base-line”.
He injured his back pretty badly but pushed yet again his limits. "Have you ever hit a ball while sitting?" was Elkamony's only option at some point.
As a promising player, Elkamony received a wild card to the Barcelona Tennis Challenger. A big step since only 2 years had gone by after he held a tennis racket for the first time: played Marc Lopez on October 10, 2006. At his career high, he was ranked ATP #1474.
Elkamony's longest match spanned over 7 years: a fight against bone marrow failure, the sickness he wanted to evict from his body.
While playing in a tournament in Macedonia, he collapsed after 2 matches. Back in Egypt, he was diagnosed with bone marrow failure, which led to severe anemia and very significant weakness in the immune system.
A multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Hossam Kamel, Prof. of Hematology NCI, prepared, supervised, and followed up after Elkamony's life-saving operation. His brother was the compatible donor. Strict protocol, sterile room, and complete isolation for more than a month.
After a bone marrow transplant, Elkamony was subjected to GvHD. Therefore a strong treatment to inhibit rejection was soon administrated, and he was exposed to major problems in the liver, kidneys, skin, and also major problems in the digestive system, finally, he was exposed to blockage of veins in both hands, which caused gangrene after 3 years of treatment.
Cortisone weakened muscles and caused weight gain of up to 140 kg. Soon the competitive spirit that had developed as he was training to become an athlete, that spirit kicked in. It made Elkamony stand up and succeed over time.
After a long 7 years of fighting with sickness and despite all doctors’ advice, Elkamony succeeded in coming back to his dream again.
In March 2015, he came back to Egypt 10 years later, the place where his journey began. He underwent from 5 minutes on the court to 6 hours of training.
Elkamony played in national tournaments in Spain from 2015 to 2016, and at international tournaments around the world from 2017 to 2019.
In 2018, he won and got his new ITF World Tennis ranking of 3251, becoming the first athlete in the world to achieve an international tennis ranking after a bone marrow transplant operation.
In 2017, the documentary movie about his story “7th Century Before Birth" was released. The movie participated at international film festivals, was released in Egyptian cinema theaters, and was shown to cancer patients in Egypt and abroad. All profit from tickets sale went to charity causes.
A biography book “Match at the Stadium of Death” was released in 2021 by Al-Karma Publishing House. It was chosen among the best biographical books for the most prominent Arab personalities in 2021.
Elkamony has been honored by many cancer and educational organizations in Egypt and abroad from 2015 to 2021. He participated as a keynote speaker at Wiki Stage and Tedx events in Egypt.
Since 2018, he served as a sports ambassador for the Baheya Breast Cancer Foundation in Egypt.
Elkamony, an inspiration to people on and off the court by giving hope to embrace life and to stand up, continues to inspire millions through his initiative the worldwide campaign “Hope Giver”, aiming to spread hope and inspired by his own story of overcoming adversity.
Through the Hope Giver Campaign, he wants to deliver a message that “Nothing is impossible”. The campaign runs yearly with participants in more than 14 countries around the world and aims to uplift millions of people, including the handicapped, cancer fighters, golden-agers, cardiovascular patients, orphans, in addition to homeless people, mental health patients, and hopeless people who face a traumatic event or serious disease.
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