Saudi Mourns Its Stephen Hawking: The Businessman Who Achieved a Lot Despite 23 Years of ALS

Upon news of his death, Saudis celebrated the life and success of businessman Sultan Al-Athel, who passed away on the 11th of April after 23 years of achievements despite being diagnosed with ALS.

Translation: "RIP. How did he overcome his illness managing all these companies?"

Al-Athel was a well-known businessman, who gave numerous contributions to the Saudi economy, founding and managing several companies and bringing many international brand names to the kingdom.

Translation: "When I read about Sultan Al-Athel and his accomplishments and books, how he had only two senses because of ALS, I felt so sorry because I'm all healthy and don't appreciate what I have. RIP"

Saudi social media nicknamed him the "Stephen Hawking of Arabs" for his unusual journey of achieving great success despite suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis for the past 23 years. 

Translation: "Businessman Sultan Al-Athel has passed away. He was the first to bring Dunkin Donuts to Saudi and Riyadh back in 1986."

With only two senses, sight and hearing, Al-Athel ran his businesses with more than 10k employees. He founded SMSA Express in addition to FedEx and Dunkin Donuts' branches in Saudi Arabia.