Letter 7 - What Would She Do With Her Life Now?

Hello Bregdan Woman!

You know, life throws challenges at everyone, but some of us seem to get more than our fair share. I believe the best thing is to not ask WHY, but to ask…

What will I do with my life now?

That’s what Shalini Saraswathi, from India, chose to do when life as she knew it was ripped from her – beginning in 2012.

Shalini was 32 when she and her husband went on vacation in Cambodia to celebrate their 4^th anniversary, her pregnancy, and the promotion they knew was waiting for her when she arrived home. That’s a lot to celebrate! Life was good.

They celebrated with no idea their good life was about to drastically change.

The change began back home in India with a fever and fatigue. She attributed the fatigue to pregnancy and kept working.

She kept getting sicker. Doctors suspected dengue fever or malaria, but medication did nothing to stop her deterioration. The day came when she woke up not able to walk, not able to get out of bed, and struggling for every breath. She was rushed to the hospital.

The young mother-to-be was terrified. What in the world was going on with her?

Further testing revealed she had contracted rickettsia with morts while they were in Cambodia. It is a rare bacterial disease endemic to Southeast Asia.

The life she had celebrated just months earlier was disappearing. Staring at the hospital walls, she thought about their wonderful vacation in Cambodia. How could such a joyful time be stealing her life from her now?

She spiraled downward, slipping into a coma. She lost her baby. Her body began to shut down with multiple organs failing. Her heart stopped beating twice. Her lungs filled with fluid.

The day came when she was put on life support. The doctors informed her family she had a very slim chance of survival.

They didn’t tell Shalini, though. She wasn’t done living. Trapped from the world by her coma, her spirit continued to fight.

On April 5^th, her 33^rd birthday, against all odds, she woke from the coma.

She was alive but her problems were far from over.

During the week-long coma, all of her limbs had developed blisters and turned black and blue. She couldn’t feel, or move, her arms and legs. The doctors told her there was a likely chance she would have to amputate her limbs, but Shalini refused to accept their diagnosis.

In the beginning, she thought her doctor was joking. I mean, come on, you don’t go into a hospital with a fever and lose your arms and legs. Do you? ! Shalini was convinced she would find the answers to restore her life as she had known it.

She fought back, researching every option available to heal. She regained partial use of her arms and legs but she still couldn’t walk.

Her marriage ended. She was let go from the job she loved.

The infection continued to ravage her body.

The question continued to explode in her mind.

What would she do with her life now?

Shalini continued to fight. She started working from home for an Indian outsourcing company on the days she felt well enough.

Her determination and courage were amazing.

Things got worse.

She was working on her computer one morning, from bed, when her left hand fractured. From typing! What the doctors had predicted was happening. Unable to save her hand, and unable to stop the infection, they had to amputate her lower left arm.

Things got worse.

Six months later, her infected right hand fell off.

Yes, you read that right. Her right hand fell off!

I had to research it, too! It’s called auto-amputation. The infection in her right arm was so severe that it cut off all blood supply. Her right hand simply detached from her body.

I can’t even imagine what Shalini was feeling at that point.

I know what she was asking… What would she do with her life now?

Things got worse.

Eighteen months into her battle, completely immobile in bed, she realized there was no point in waiting any longer for the inevitable. Shalini had both legs amputated, below the knee.

I know this is a brutal story but hang in there… It does get better!

I’ve tried to imagine what she was thinking and feeling as she lost her arms and legs, but I know it’s impossible. Whatever physical challenges I’ve faced haven’t equipped me to understand Shalini.

I do understand, however, fighting back against what life throws at you.

I’ve asked the same question Shalini has… What would she do with her life now?

With her limbs gone, her body was clear of infection. She began to get better.

Shalini picked up the pieces of her life and fought back. Instead of giving up, she kept asking the all-important question: What would she do with her life now?

She went on a journey of self-discovery, learning what it meant to live her life in a body that had irrevocably changed.

One thing that hadn’t changed was her determination and indomitable attitude.

She knew she had to take things one at a time.

Being immobile for 18 months had created a weight gain she wasn’t comfortable with. That was something she could control. She lost the weight.

She was determined to learn how to walk again. She opted for prosthetic blades, thrilled when her new blades took her from under five feet tall to five four. Her days of being called shorty were over!

It took her several months, increasing her steps a few minutes a day in her house, to learn how to walk again. There were falls, failure and disappointment, but she got up and kept going.

When she was walking with confidence, she realized she wasn’t content with merely walking. She wanted to run!

Remember the question? What would she do with her life now?

Shalini didn’t want people’s sympathy. She wanted to prove she was still the indomitable woman she had always been. She set her eyes on a goal that perhaps no one but her believed she could accomplish.

The great thing is that no one but YOU ever needs to believe what you can accomplish.

Let me repeat that… No one but YOU ever needs to believe what you can accomplish. Just YOU.

Shalini suffered through blisters beneath the prosthetics. She pushed through pain. She forced herself to believe her dream was possible.

She went from walking… to jogging. She trained 90 minutes a day.

Four years after her trip to Cambodia, in 2016, she took part in a 10 K race. She finished with a time of 2:02 hours. The following year, she decreased her time to 1:35 hours.

Shalini is now an accomplished para-athlete. She is a National Gold and Silver medalist at the National Para Games, has represented India at the Asian Games, and holds the Asian record as the fastest woman on blades.

WOW!

That was just the beginning of creating her new life.

She kept asking… What would she do with her life now?

She was determined to restore all the things illness had tried to rob from her. She is a motivational speaker and blogger, as well as an executive at an outsourcing company in India. She works to normalize people with disabilities – in India, but also worldwide.

One of her quotes has stuck with me:

“The idea was to normalize disability. I think people have so many hang-ups and notions about it. There are two images about disability - one is this huge, larger than life - somebody who climbs Mount Everest with no feet - the inspiring image. Or you have the other imagery which is sad, which is typically there in advertisements and cinemas. There is nothing in between that normalizes it. People with disabilities exist in the world and we are ten percent of India’s population. We are hardly seen and even less heard.”

Shalini has changed that perception in India. She continues to change it every day.

Shalini stands out in the world as a true Bregdan Woman. Hope. Courage. Determination. Commitment to make a difference.

She didn’t set out to do any of this. She faced the situation she was dealt, and simply did the best she could.

Along the way, she has inspired countless numbers of people as she has forged her path to success and fulfillment.

I want to be like her every day of my life. How about you?

I bet you know the question I’m going to ask you today. No matter what you have faced, or are facing…

What will you do with your life now?

Take some time to think about this. Come up with a plan. Determine to take control of your life.

What will you do with your life TODAY?

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I’m on this journey with you…

Please help me reach millions - Forever Free - by sharing with your friends!

Ginny