Inspiration
Meet Anushka, the girl who lost an arm but kept her spirit
Negligent driving by a bus driver led to Anushka Pathak losing her right arm. This is a story that will prove to you that life can soar even after seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
How I lost my arm but kept my spirit
It’s said that we remember both the best and worst moments of our lives. More importantly, we remember those moments that change us forever, whether for the good or bad. For Anushka Pathak, 23 March 2012 will be irrevocably stamped for eternity as the date that changed her young innocent life, for this day she lost her right arm.
Born and brought up in a small suburban town of Satna in central India, she went to primary school in her hometown before moving to the best all girls’ boarding school of the country in western India. Here she discovered herself and her mojo namely within Hindi debate and Hindi poetry writing. The summer before ninth grade she made her first trip abroad to the United States of America on a space education program with NASA. It was here that her first ever Hindi poem was published in her school’s monthly newsletter and she won the best speaker award at a debate competition.
But life has a way of suddenly changing the scenery when we think all is going well. On that fatefully day, Anushka was in Gujarat as a part of her annual school trip. The day began beautifully as she and her friends frolicked on a beach in Diu. However, she was oblivious to the horror that awaited her at the end of the day.
Aboard the bus that was taking them to the hotel, 5 minutes into the journey and the bus hit the divider and crashed to its right side. Anushka found herself rolling around and her face smashed the glass window. Unable to get up on her own, a friend came and pulled her up, only to realize that her right arm still lay on the floor in a pool of blood and flesh. Terrified, the friend released her left arm and Anushka dropped like a stone smashed her face on the glass again.
Providence has a very uncanny way of working. Anushka’s ill fated bus was followed by a van of army soldiers who not only immediately helped the students but one of them also donated blood to Anushka who had lost almost 60% while lying in that bus. It was only through his generosity that she survived till she received tertiary medical care.
Waking up after approximately a day and a half she discovered that her right arm was completely bandaged and overheard the doctors saying that a above elbow amputation was done on her.
Her father sued the driver for drunken driving, but he was subsequently released on bail. This has completely disillusioned the youngster from the Indian Judicial System.
Her recovery wasn’t easy being a right hander as transitioning to the left was a very difficult experience. Daily tasks that we take for granted like writing, eating, combing my hair, applying makeup were suddenly tasks that took hours. It was only after she got back to school that her friends played the role of a perfect support group and helped her relearn how to tie shoe laces, how to put on eyeliner-using only one hand.
Very soon life dealt another blow to Anushka. Her pillar of strength during her recovery period, a teacher from her school, Mrs. Anshu passed away after suffering from Swine Flu, an epidemic rampant in India in 2013.
But nothing was going to keep this spirited lass down. Not only did she pile up achievements in school like scoring brilliant grades in SAT, winning debates, publishing her poems and getting elected as the President of the debate society. She even went on to be awarded the most prestigious award of her school ‘The Spirit of Mayo’.
She moved even higher in life when she chose to attend college in the U.S. In December 2014 she was accepted in the Emory College of Emory University where she is studying currently and is the campus editor of the college website –‘The Tab’.
In her own words, Emory College has let her do things she couldn’t have dreamed of doing in India. Rock climbing, driving, even ice skating.
In U.S. the “no, you can’t”, has been substituted with “yes, of course you can do it”. At the end of her high school senior year, Anushka promised herself that she will go back to the place of her accident but not until she has become someone in life and when she goes back she can stand tall, proud and whole.
Image Courtesy: www.thetab.com/us/emory