Inspiring

Every once in a while I seem to come across people who have, or are trying to, overcome substantial odds. People not out of some movie or storybook, but real life people, like you and me. Whenever something like this happens, I consider myself blessed, for being reminded yet again that there is no adversity that you cannot fight against. You may or may not win, but then, there is no shame in losing, only in not trying your best.

I had first noticed Nirmala when I started going to the gym in my apartment complex about 2 years ago. She was easily among the fittest people I had even seen, so much so that I was positively embarrassed to work out in her presence. I guessed her to be in her early thirties, till I overheard her mentioning to some one that her eldest son was at IIM-A. So I obviously had to revise my estimate upwards, to put it mildly. :-) Anyway, we never communicated, and soon she became just another person whom I would bump into once in a while at the gym. Then, sometime in 2005, Nirmala disappeared - I noticed her absence for some days and after that, she faded from my conscious memory. People come and go all the time.

Last weekend, when I was on my saturday evening stroll in the complex, I saw Nirmala again. I could recognize her even without seeing her face - she was in the same shape as I had seen her last. The only thing that I found odd, very odd, was her pace - rather, the lack of it. She was almost taking baby steps. I was puzzled, but since we had never interacted earlier, I did not make any effort to speak to her and just walked past. Given the difference in our speeds, it wasn't long before I overtook her again, but this time she stopped me. Hesitantly she enquired whether I was the same guy who used to go to the gym. I nodded and also commented that I hadn't seen her for ages. She said she had been in a bit of trouble.

Nirmala tore her ligaments while playing badminton. The initially surgery, though conducted by a very reputed surgeon, was botched up apparently because it was done even before the swelling had subsided. She had to go through three more corrective surgeries. Most of this period she was confined in bed / wheel chair. It was only now, for the past three months, that she was trying to walk again.

For any person, all this can be harrowing. But imagine this from Nirmala's perspective. She used to be a cross-country runner, an ace shuttler, an aerobics instructor - basically an extremely active and fit person. Now imagine the change that the accident invoked. Physical pain apart, Nirmala was wrecked psychologically. She could not meet people, she hated the thought of the wheel chair, she could not comprehend why all this was happening. But only for a while. With emotional support from her husband, and good medical care, she decided to fight back. Slow steps, painful steps, but important steps. She devised diets and exercises for herself so that she would not put on weight even with a largely sedate lifestyle. She slowly started walking outdoors at odd hours when there would not be many people around, because she could not bear the thought of people overtaking her. As she explained, she had to literally teach herself to walk again, as her brain had "forgotten" how to walk. Over a period of three months, she has regained enough confidence to walk in public, at her own pace. Now she plans to devise and teach aerobics specially to people who have had similar injuries. And she is going to run the marathon in 5 years' time.

While Nirmala was sharing all this with me, I was again impressed by the age-old dictum: It is all in the mind. No doubt Nirmala's existing fitness level has helped her bounce back faster than an average person. Not having to worry about the financial aspects of the treatment is also a blessing. The emotional support from a loving family also goes a long way. But ultimately it is you who has to conquer the odds. If your frame of mind is positive, you will make the best use of all the help that is at hand. If it is not, then all the help in the world will not be enough. To end with another cliche:

Life's battles do not always go

To the Stronger or Faster man.

But soon or late, the man who wins

Is the man who thinks HE CAN

Yes Nirmala, the writer was gender-biased. :-)