At 28, I’ve Had 45 Surgeries And Lost My Right Hand: This Is My Story
( words)
*For representational purpose only.
I got electrocuted while playing with a fishing rod when I was 12 years old. When the rod fell out the window, I grabbed it on an electrical line instead, causing 11,000 volts of electricity to go through my right hand.
My right hand had to be amputated after a week to prevent the Gangrene from spreading. I was rushed to the ICU with severe burns and parts of my flesh missing.
I didn't grasp the seriousness of what had occurred at the age of 12; all I knew was that I had to start again as a baby. During this period, my parents and friends were like pillars — in fact, my father had made it a rule that anybody who came to see me had to crack a joke first before starting any discussion — and it worked.
I would look forward to laughing and slowly began to get ready to face the world with my new reality. My first task was to practice writing with my prosthetic arm — it seemed impossible at first, but as my ayurvedic treatment continued, every day I could grasp the pen a little better, and then one day it just happened! I wrote my first word and by the end of the treatment, I had rewritten the entire book, ‘Matilda’ — what a victory!
Instead of focusing on the hardship, I began to see the situation as a celebration of my second chance at life. Everything was a celebration, from the first time I zipped my own suitcase to the first time I wore clothes on my own, from the first time I locked a door to the first time I wrote all of my examination papers on my own!
That's when I realized I was enough; that my disability was simply a part of my life, not what defined it.
I went on to get my BCOM, an MBA, and lived alone for two years. Because I had scars all over my legs, I attempted to hide behind long sleeves, dupattas, and never wore shorts at first, but with time, I let it go because I grew proud of my faults and scars they made me who I am today — brave and positive.
At 28, I’ve had 45 surgeries and lost my right hand, but still lived to the fullest.
Coming back to the present I am married to the love of my life who only lifts me higher. I have a baby girl, I work full time on my business, drive like a boss, skydive, bungee jump and do multiple open water drives and have so much more to do but not before I continue to celebrate every little victory and do my little dance along the way.
