Real-life Story: Her Leg Got Crushed In A Road Accident!

It Was A Fateful Day...

On February 3rd 2010, I decided to take a bus back home in Bengaluru because the auto driver was asking for exorbitant amounts. As I was getting off the bus, the driver closed the door and started moving, and the rear wheel ran over my leg. Everything below my knee was crushed. I could see my knee cap dangling by a mere tissue and I was losing a lot of blood. I remember begging strangers to take me to a hospital.

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Admitted In Hospital...

I was admitted in the hospital and resuscitated, since they could not read my vitals. Gangrene had started to set in and they had to amputate my leg. When I first saw the sight of my leg, all that was left was a 7-inch stump of raw flesh on bone. I could not accept the sight. My boyfriend at the time got his job transferred from USA to Bengaluru to be with me. When he first proposed, I was unsure. I told him that I had scars and a leg was missing. He thought it through, asked himself if he could love me given my disability, and proposed to me again in the hospital and his parents supported his decision. We got married in January 2011.

Became Pregnant...

In 2012, my husband and I were snorkelling in Australia when I began feeling nauseous. We came back home and I missed my period. We realised I was pregnant. We were thrilled. Pregnancy as an amputee was an interesting experience. I had no reference points and relied entirely on a single article I found online. As an amputee, I kept myself as active as possible but due to incorrect reading of my weight, I put on 25 kilos. My prosthesis had to be remade and I began using crutches and then a walker. My son was born In June 2013 after a C-section delivery. My life changed.

Her Strength…

Even from my pregnancy, I was emotionally connected to him. I did everything I could to take care of him. It bothered me that I could not walk him or bathe him but I made up for it with extra cuddles and snuggles! I have loved every moment of taking care of him, watching him grow from being a small speck to a young boy now. Even though he is only four, he is the first to come forward if I need help and tells other curious kids about how his mother got a boo-boo while getting off a bus. He loves Indian mythology and could sing our National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" when he was just twenty months old.

After he turned two, staying at home full-time and looking after him started getting repetitive. I wanted to do something for me. I started a support group for amputees which grew to include other mobility impairments, and today is a lot more.

I would soon be getting my prosthetic blade and start running, thus knocking off one more item from my bucket list. Today, I feel connected with life. I am on a journey of self-discovery and betterment, and that to me is the essence of life.

Hema Subhash and Neil Bhuyan
PC: Senthil Kumar