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The first thing I remember after the accident was waking up in a hospital bed, feeling nothing but pain. The lights above me were too bright, my body was heavy and wrapped in bandages, and I couldn’t move. I didn’t know where I was or how I’d gotten there. I remembered being in an auto rickshaw with my mother and younger sister, and then... everything was blank. That's when I saw that there were doctors all around me. One of them noticed I had woken up and told me that I'd been in an accident.
I couldn’t understand it at first. Then, fear exploded in my mind. I screamed for my mother and sister. Were they hurt? Were they okay? I couldn't calm down until I finally saw them; they were injured, but safe. It was only later that I realized how bad my own injuries were.
The person riding the bike died on the spot...
It was early morning, around 6 or 7am. The three of us were coming back home in an auto rickshaw from my grandmother's house. I don’t remember much of the accident itself. Just the screeching of tires, a blur of motion, a very loud impact, and then nothing. When I woke up later in the hospital, they told me that a bike had crashed into us on my side of the auto, and that the person riding the bike had died on the spot. I felt numb hearing that, but I was also scared, confused. My right arm and right leg were broken. My face got injured too. But the worst part was that I had severe nerve damage.
Just weeks ago, I was a regular student
I am 15 years old. I had finished my 10th standard with 93% marks, and I had dreams of becoming a police officer. I’ve always been determined to do well in school so I could achieve that dream. No one in my family has ever been a police officer, and I wanted to be the first, to make them proud.
My parents are farmers, and I always thought that if I worked hard and succeeded, I could give them a better life. They wouldn’t have to work in the fields anymore. My sister could study whatever she wanted, without worrying about money. My dream wasn’t just for me, it was for them too. Now, after the accident, everything feels uncertain.
The doctors say that I need several surgeries
Doctors are saying that the longer we delay the surgeries and treatment procedures, the higher the chances that the nerve damage will be permanent. Meaning, even if my arm and leg heal from the outside, I wouldn't be able to use them properly if I don't get treated soon. I love dancing, and the thought that I might never dance again is painful. More than that, though, I’m scared I won’t be able to walk or write again. I’ll miss my mid-term exams this month, and it’s hard to say when I’ll be able to return to my studies. I worked so hard for those exams, and now they’re slipping away from me.
I want to be strong—for myself, for my family—but it’s hard
I lie here, day after day, feeling weak, helpless. I had always imagined myself in the police uniform, standing tall and helping others. My parents are doing everything they can to help me, but we’ve already spent all the money we had. I worry about my future, but I worry about my family even more. They’ve always supported me, and now, I want to support them. Without these surgeries, I don’t know if that’s possible.
Please, I need your help. Every contribution will bring me closer to walking again, to writing again, to dancing again. And one day, hopefully, I’ll be able to fulfill my dream of becoming the police officer I’ve always wanted to be.
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