Hope you are doing well. I, Mr Ajeya Raj, an International level Para Boccia player have represented India twice and won 4 medals at the National level.
To introduce myself in a bit- I am a person with a C4 level of spinal cord injury- 98% disability level which means I operate a motorized wheelchair with my chin to commute and receive help for all activities of daily living since 2006. Having said this, I solely manage FnB and social media handles of Chandigarh Spinal Rehab (A rehabilitation institute in Chandigarh for persons with brain and spinal cord injury). Being the sole breadwinner of the family, I come from a humble background.
My name is Ajeya Raj and I am a person with a spinal cord injury. In the year 2006 immediately after my 10th exams, I incurred a life-changing accident which left me paralyzed below my neck. Yes In a split second I could no longer move any part of my body but my neck!! I had suffered 95% disability and what lay ahead was a life of complete dependency for each and every activity of my daily life. The future was nothing less than a nightmare as it involved running from pillar to post in hope and desperation to seek optimal medical care post my injury.
As I belong to a small village in Jharkand, India there was a lack of proper and adequate medical care required for the management of spinal cord injury. My family which includes my parents, two elder sisters and one younger brother also had no knowledge of the injury that I had sustained and were left at the mercy of others. As much as my paralysis was shocking for me so was it for my family. My complete paralysis left my family absolutely shattered and devastated to the extent that my eldest sister went into depression and trauma.
All of a sudden from a happy, content family, we were now facing two major medical conditions! The helplessness, despair and sadness that loomed along with the challenges of managing Spinal cord injury and depression were insurmountable for us as a family.
But as they say "this too shall pass " and "there is hope at the end of the tunnel", so did we hold each other together with belief, faith, trust, hope and love that together we shall overcome and turn the night into day.
As I witnessed my family falling apart, I decided to rise up with power, zeal and determination to not only give meaning to my new life but also to restore wellness, health and peace for my family. They say that what a human mind can perceive, can achieve. A vision to achieve maximum independence was a treacherous battlefield. There were battles lost on the way but I knew the war would be mine.
As humans, we are never fully aware of our strengths and the courage we all possess! The human spirit as they say is indomitable after all! So I took my injury as my pride and started the arduous journey of rehabilitation. To create awareness about my condition and to raise funds for the rehabilitation that was ended I started sitting by the roadside and started sharing my story with absolute strangers. As much as the injury was new for me so was it for everyone near me. Slowly and steadily I started learning about my condition and how to manage it.
Gradually over time my younger brother and I were trained to handle my body and its many complications especially related to bowel and bladder. The inner fright and trauma were as deep as the physical loss perceived outside! The fight was multifold and I realised there was no easy way out but to fight and so did I fight with vigour, optimism, self-belief and trust in the Lord Mighty.
Today after 14 years of my injury I can proudly say that I m independently managing FnB for Chandigarh Spinal Rehab! I also am a peer counsellor for persons with spinal cord injuries at Chandigarh Spinak Rehab! Not only that I am also the Social Media Manager for Chandigarh Spinal Rehab. This though is just the tip of the iceberg! But The toil and turmoil have been worth every bit of it. After my injury, I also completed my studies and topped the 12th exam in 2012 at my school. In 2015, I successfully completed my bachelor of Arts. Today I'm independent in my motorised wheelchair and also the only earning member of my family.
My struggles have helped me understand the suffering and pain that runs amongst us humans which indeed makes us one. This has guided me to volunteer for persons with disabilities along with participating in community rehabilitation programs. Despite being totally paralyzed, I have done more than 20 community visits which involved long, tiring, hassle train journeys !! But today I m proud of all the struggles and the challenges that have been thrown at me as they helped not only me but also many others like me! As I visit different communities, I realize how little people know about spinal cord injury and how rehabilitation can help them turn their life around.
I was also the chief coordinator for UDAAN – A unique event of Para motoring for the differently abled and reached out to people everywhere in the country and motivated them to come forward and participate in this event so that they can have the experience of their lifetime.
With sheer determination, I have also traveled in the Delhi Metro all by myself! Despite being a tetraplegic, my enthusiasm has helped me give wings to my dreams. Believe it or not but I have done scuba diving in the open sea and paramotoring in the open air !! You can also see me roaming in my motorized wheelchair on the streets of Chandigarh which I move with my mouth as that’s really all that I can move! 14 years ago this all would have sounded like a fantasy dream. Maybe it still would have been having I been not in a wheelchair. Today I can truly say that my wheelchair is my badge of honor!! Social media and assisting technology have given me new visibility and new empowerment to create an impact in the lives of others just like someone did in mine!
With due respect, I am hereby mentioning some of my achievements for your kind consideration:
Silver medal in National Boccia Championship at Vishakapatnam,2021.
Bronze medal in National Boccia Championship at Jalandhar, 2019.
Gold and Silver medal in National Boccia Championship at Punjab, 2022
Represented India at Dubai Championship in the years 2019 and 2021.
I am the only one with such a high disability level to have done Scuba diving in the deep sea at Pondicherry, 2018.
Participated in Para motoring at Chandigarh in 2017.
Received award for the Most Empowering person at Swach Ability Run event in Delhi in 2018.
Continued my studies post-injury, completed BA in 2015, and topped the 12th class in 2012.
Participated in several marathons on my motorized wheelchair using my chin; 5,10 and 20kms.
Comments