I am Itika Saxena and I am from India. I suffered from TM when I was just 10 years old. It happened on September 11th, 1995. I was about to go to sleep, as it was a Sunday night, and I needed to attend school the very next day. Before going to bed, I fell near to the bed, and I realized I couldn’t get up on my legs. I shouted, and my parents came to help. I was rushed to the hospital, and during that course of time, both my hands and legs were not moving. After two days, I was moved to another unit where they diagnosed me with TM. The area affected was C2 to T2. That covered almost my entire body from the neck down. I was in a wheelchair for approximately 7 years; still, I completed my studies.
I am working as a product owner at PWC and completed my MBA, though I suffered from multiple re-occurrences of TM. I was bedridden each time, but this doesn’t stop me from chasing my dreams.
I had been asked to wear a caliper, but I threw it away because I hated it. I was asked by my doctor not to wear heels, but I still wear 5-inch wedge sandals. I drive a normal car (Hyundai Eon). Currently I have some things I can’t do, but I’m not dependent on anyone. Pain, weakness, headache, and spasticity are major areas that break me down, but my inner strength is much stronger than that. These issues never stopped me from flourishing in my career because I believe in me.
Itika Saxena
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