Pascal’s long way back to life

After an accident at the age of seven, Pascal Mustafi spent 21 months in a coma. He survived, but has since been 90% disabled. Despite this, he has proven that anything is possible. In August, he will be a full-time Sales Assistant in JYSK Germany.

Pascal Mustafi was seven years old when his life was almost over. He was on his way to go shopping with his mother and siblings when, while crossing the street, he was run over by a speeding car with a driver talking on his handheld mobile phone.

The doctors managed to save Pascal’s life, but after an emergency operation, he was in a coma for 21 months.

"I woke up in a rehabilitation clinic in Essen (Germany). In a wheelchair. The doctors told me that I would never walk again," says Pascal, Store Apprentice and soon Sales Assistant in Mülheim-Kärlich (Germany), now 26 years old.

Needed to learn everything again

But Pascal is a fighter. After years of training, he left the wheelchair and walker behind. He learned to speak again. And he managed to graduate despite all odds.

“I really threw myself into it and managed to graduate from secondary school with an average grade of 1.5 (on a scale from 1 to 6, where 1 is best)," says Pascal.

In his work life, he has tried different jobs as a chef, mail sorter and parking attendant, but his disability never gave him a real chance. Due to his disability degree of 90%, his movement and speaking abilities are challenged, and sometimes he needs more time to think things through.

"As soon as the topic of my disability came up during the job interviews, I was told "We will get back to you". Which of course was never the case,” says Pascal.

First contact with JYSK

Pascal wanted to define his own future, and one of his applications ended up with Johannes Mazzoccoli, District Manager at JYSK Germany in the Rhineland. He set up a job interview and was impressed by Pascal’s personality and his openness.

“In the aftermath, however, I had my doubts, to be honest. It was clear that things would be different with Pascal than with other employees. On the other hand, Pascal said very clearly that he did not want any special treatment,” says Johannes.

Pascal was offered a part-time job in the stock room of the store in Mülheim-Kärlich, but he quickly convinced everyone that he was ready for more, and in August 2021, he was offered an apprenticeship as Sales Assistant.

“Sometimes it is of course the case that one task or another is more difficult for him than for people without disabilities, but no matter what it is, Pascal enjoys taking on every challenge. And if you give him the time, he can handle the most difficult things,” says Store Manager Perry Junglas in Mülheim-Kärlich.

Passion for customer service

Most recently, Pascal has accepted a job offer as a full-time Sales Assistant, when he finishes his apprenticeship in August 2023. Furthermore, he has also become a JYSK Influencer on his personal social media profiles and represents JYSK at fairs.

He is highly appreciated by his colleagues as well as customers, which is seen in the Customer Satisfaction Survey and on Google, where customers praise his service level and great advisory.

“I really take my time with each customer. My aim is that every customer I advise leaves the store with a smile - every day. I got a chance at JYSK and got to know a great company. And I am happy to pass on this experience," says Pascal.