My Story: 'Fire In Me Wants To See A Better Version Of Myself Everyday'

My life was as ordinary as anyone else's. My father is a working professional, whereas my mom is a homemaker, and being the elder child of the family, I was the favourite one. I was hyperactive since childhood, so sports became an essential part of my life as I used to invest most of my time playing football and cricket. Eight years ago, however, my life took a major turn.

I Had To Lose My Leg

We were all travelling to Goa for our new home's Vastu pooja, and we met with a car accident. Thankfully, everyone escaped uninjured, but my arteries were severely damaged, and I had to lose my leg. We were left with no option but to amputate the foot. My uncle, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, advised me to opt for a German prosthetic foot. The treatment kept me away from school for the next few months, but I somehow completed my 10th that year.

Was Shortlisted for Olympic Trials

After installing the prosthetic foot, I was pretty comfortable walking with it initially, but eventually, I realised that my body was not responding well to it. I was constantly losing weight and had lower back issues. Doctors advised me to start exercising, and that's where I discovered marathon running. I had started it out as a hobby, which grew into a passion later. Starting from a 5 km run to a 42kms full marathon, it took two years of a journey to reach the stage where I am today. After my first marathon, I was even shortlisted for the Olympic trials, but it got delayed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

2020 has been an odd year for all of us, and I'm no different. However, apart from the pandemic, there are other struggles that we all are facing; one of my personal experiences takes me back to the struggling phase of getting selected for the Olympic trials to losing a few kilos and starting the process all over again.

There Is Nothing To Be Sympathetic About

I don't think I am different from ordinary people as my activities are pretty much on par with others. It's a matter of our thinking and how we look at things. I often feel that sometimes people look at me and have a sympathetic feeling. But, there is nothing to be sympathetic about. I run to overperform everyone and beat everyone by my stronger will; it's just the fire in me which wants me to see a better form of my image tomorrow.

If you too have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com