A single dialog, an individual, or a gathering can change you. Whether it is with Preethi Srinivasan, it will most definitely alter the best way you take a look at life. Preethi has confronted each problem that life has thrown her means, carving a path to assist others when she was in dire want of assist herself. 

The 42-year-old is way from bizarre. Born in Chennai and raised throughout three continents, the world was actually her oyster. The nationwide stage swimmer began swimming on the age of three. 

Shortly after the 1983 World Cup, impressed by Sir Vivian Richards, she additionally began enjoying cricket at 4. Taking part in for the Tamil Nadu state crew at simply eight years outdated, she was the captain of the under-19 state crew. 

Together with her sights set on becoming a member of the nationwide crew together with attaining excellence in lecturers, she felt that every little thing was going her means.

“Not even the shadow of failure had touched my life,” she explains.

However, every little thing modified within the blink of a watch when she was 18. Having fun with together with her associates on a Puducherry seashore, she abruptly fell down whereas enjoying within the water. A spinal wire harm left her with none feeling underneath the neck. 

Via the unwavering love and assist of her dad and mom, and her unbelievable resilience, she emerged like a phoenix, and immediately gives wings to tons of of individuals with spinal wire harm by way of her enterprise ‘Soulfree’, a charitable belief.

Soulfree INSPIRE (Built-in Spinal Rehabilitation Centre) in 2013, the belief’s rehab centre, gives holistic remedy, rehabilitation, medical care, training, counselling, employment alternatives to individuals with spinal wire accidents without cost. The 20,000 sq. toes facility in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, has helped over 200 individuals with extreme disabilities dwell a lifetime of dignity up to now.

Swimming towards the tide

After the accident, Preethi was in shock and confronted a extremely robust time. From excelling in all spheres of life, being confined to a wheelchair broke her spirit.

“My coronary heart was completely damaged. I had a privileged existence for the primary 18 years of my life. I used to be showered with love at house, was within the prime 2 % of scholars in America, performed cricket with legends, was extraordinarily match and delightful. I used to be making my means in direction of success, when the accident left me in full shock,” Preethi shares with The Higher India. 

She provides that from with the ability to throw the ball with full pressure, she was unable to even transfer her little finger. 

“From being extraordinary in each means, I abruptly couldn’t even feed myself, bathe myself. I couldn’t even get away from bed. It actually broke me,” she provides.

Her dad and mom stood by her like rocks by way of this complete ordeal. Her father stop his job to deal with her they usually moved to Tiruvannamalai, a religious, temple city, to heal.

Preethi then tried to get right of entry to a correspondence course for BSc Psychology, however she was rejected as there have been sensible courses and the universities weren’t disabled-friendly. There have been no elevators or ramps.  

She remembers being requested, “Why do individuals such as you come to check?” Her father, her largest cheerleader, purchased her books to check, and motivated her to coach herself, diploma, or no diploma. He would learn out to her from varied books throughout genres, from fiction to instructional books to religious books. She would struggle with him, however he didn’t let go of her hand, and helped her overcome her ache. 

Simply as she began piecing her life collectively, one other large wave hit her. Her father died of a coronary heart assault in 2007, and simply 4 days later, her mom, too, had a coronary heart assault and needed to have a bypass surgical procedure. 

“My world was rocked once more. I had an 80-year-old grandmother to deal with. We needed to go to Chennai for the surgical procedure. We had no thought how we might handle the subsequent meal or who would even assist me sit on my wheelchair. I needed to begin incomes cash and life appeared troublesome over again,” says Preethi.

At this level, her associates reiterated the necessity for her to get a proper diploma. She took up BSc Medical Sociology because it had no sensible exams. She additionally did MSc in Psychology regardless of eager to do counselling psychology.

“I needed to counsel individuals as my voice is the one factor I’ve. I used to be denied admission and needed to accept psychology,” she says.

‘We too deserve a lifetime of dignity’

Throughout this time, as she grappled with getting an training and a remedy for her mom, she encountered two deaths that shook her to the core. 

“Not eager to deal with them, two paraplegic ladies who I knew have been apparentfly poisoned by their households. It left me questioning, India has one of many largest populations and but there isn’t a place for a quadriplegic or a paraplegic particular person to dwell with dignity. There was nobody to deal with me when my mother obtained sick,” she provides.

She then began researching and located that there weren’t many long-term rehabilitation centres or locations that supplied take care of individuals with spinal wire accidents. Her mom then persuaded her to start out such a haven that gives a lifetime of dignity for individuals with extreme disabilities. 

“At first, I laughed off the thought as I had no clue about working or financing a non-profit organisation. However the loss of life of those ladies made me get up. If I’m simply going to be afraid to do one thing, I’m a part of the issue. Nobody understands this higher than me on account of my lived expertise. I made a decision to boost my voice and do no matter I can to one way or the other uplift this section of society as a result of we’re so utterly invisible,” she provides.

With this in thoughts, she began Soulfree Encourage. Individuals include a caregiver and spend about 6 months within the centre. They obtain coaching, which Preethi calls re-engineering, the place they get emotional and bodily rehabilitation. 

“We restore their will to dwell. Our goal is to revive self-reliance from a physiological, psychological and socio financial perspective. It’s vital for them to go house and be capable to earn some cash. We’re giving worldwide requirements of care freed from price. Now we have physiotherapy, occupational remedy, hydrotherapy, sports activities, counselling periods, coaching periods, tailoring, laptop courses and extra. It’s a holistic system born from an experiential framework,” provides Preethi.

Soulfree additionally gives information and consciousness applications about spinal wire harm. They’ve a particular deal with ladies and supply a assist system to these with extreme disabilities by way of instructional and employment alternatives. In addition they present wheelchairs and medical care to these in want. To maintain everybody’s spirits up, in addition they have convention calls.

Karthikeyan (25), was bedridden after he fell from a tree three years in the past. He got here to Soulfree six months again and is now in a position to stroll with a stick.

“Being bedridden made me ponder ending my life. I additionally had some bedsores. I used to be utilizing a wheelchair. Now, I’m able to stroll utilizing a stick and do my each day chores and have learnt tailoring and computer systems, which I’ll use to assist myself as soon as I’m again house,” says Karthikeyan.

Preethi can also be working with the Tamil Nadu authorities to incorporate rehabilitation within the authorities insurance coverage scheme. She is a member of the advisory board for the ‘Welfare of the In a different way-Abled’ in Tamil Nadu.

“Most individuals, after a spinal wire harm, go house and don’t know what to do. The federal government ought to work on offering correct recognition for our incapacity and with employment alternatives for individuals like us,” she says. 

What gave her the energy to take action a lot whereas she herself confronted innumerable challenges in her each day life? 

“I got here to grasp that as an alternative of feeling sorry for myself, I ought to attempt to make use of the chance of the problem as a result of in any other case life would have been too straightforward for me. When you could have particular skills, you might be given particular challenges. Should you succeed when every little thing goes your means, it’s not a giant deal. It’s when it’s a must to field along with your palms tied behind your again and save the world, that’s when it’s a victory,” she smiles.

She nonetheless has days when she feels low, that’s when she will get on a convention name together with her associates from Soulfree, who inform her that life will get higher. Soulfree has helped over 2,500 individuals up to now. 

“These lives are invisible and the world discards us so simply if we die. I consider that each human life has a worth no matter your capability or incapacity, nobody deserves to die. My objective is to make sure that nobody dies of bedsores or on account of their household’s compulsions,” she provides.

When the world closed the door on Preethi, she determined to create change and alternatives. She is now pursuing her PhD from IIT Madras.

Should you want to donate to Soulfree, you are able to do it right here. 

Edited by Padmashree Pande.