Champion needs financial help to replace artificial legs

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 22

We all must have heard of Oscar Pistorious who became the first double-amputee to compete at both the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012. The city also seems to have an inspirational player.

Meet this 19-year-old champion who was cheerful and determined as every other youngster until a tragedy changed his life. However, it did not deter him to achieve what he wanted in life.

Aakash Mehra is firm, but he definitely needs financial help for medical treatment. Mehra, an Asian Youth Para Games Champion, has prosthetic legs, and is running out of funds for further medical treatment of his artificial limbs.

Having won two gold medals in javelin throw in the consecutively held state-level tournaments and one silver medal in National senior Para athletic championship 2017, Aakash who belongs to an economically poor family has now recently won a silver medal in the Asia youth Para Games that were held last month in Dubai from December 10-14.

Mehra had once aspired to play for Indian Hockey Team and had also played state-level matches in hockey, but is now into javelin throw in handicapped category. He took up this first a year back to keep his sportsmanship spirit alive after he lost both his legs in 2012 in a train mishap. The world turned upside down for him, but then an NRI in 2014 came as a help and funded his prosthetic treatment.

But now, he is again looking for financial aid from the government to afford the servicing charges and the prosthetic knee replacement.

Aakash said, “Me and my family are fighting this battle on our own and due to lack of financial support, sometimes it becomes difficult for us to meet the resources. I don’t fear anything but if provided all the medical aid I can bring more medals for the country. We are poor and don’t have adequate funds for the treatment. The government promises of providing a job but of no avail.

Geeta Rani, mother of Aakash ,who works as domestic help, said due to her husband’s mental illness, she is the only breadwinner in the family.

Earlier, she did not have enough funds to get the treatment of her son done, so she had borrowed money for the same. “And now, since he has started playing again it becomes tough for us to arrange money for his game and his treatment as well,” the mother said. Currently Aakash is training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Gujarat and is preparing for the Senior National Para athletic Games, 2018.