Why This Man has Not Lost his Courage After Spending 23 Years in Bed

NDTV

Bengaluru:  Jayaram Shetty used to be fun-loving man. He had it all - a great job and a good life. All of 21, life was never so promising for this young professional.

 

But all this took a brutal turn when Mr Shetty met with an accident in 1992 that left him paralysed for life.

 

Since the accident, Mr Shetty has spent 23 years lying face down in a bed.

 

But the sheer courage and indomitable spirit of this man from Kundapur in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada is an inspiration.

 

Talking to NDTV, Mr Shetty recalled the fateful day. "I used to work as a supervisor for a company building a tunnel for the Konkan Railway. On that day, a stone fell on my head and the injury damaged my spinal cord."

From government to his employer, everyone helped him. Media attention some years ago brought in some financial help too. But recurring hospital expenses have become an issue. His family, which has stayed with him throughout this ordeal, needs additional funds to meet the hospital expenses.

 

Talking about his struggle, Mr Shetty said, "Every month I go to Manipal for medicines and testing. Earlier, the expenditure used to be around Rs. 8,000, now it has come up to Rs. 9,000."

 

Apart from his family who always helps him to move around, his neighbours also help the brave man. "I get medicines for him. It would be good if people help him out," says Nagesh, who live next door.   

 

But Mr Shetty doesn’t want handouts. He hopes to earn a monthly income of Rs. 5,000 by hiring out a vehicle. The cheapest one, a Maruti Omni would cost him around Rs. 3 lakh.

 

All this doesn’t deter him from thinking big. When asked what he hopes for the future he says, "I’m thinking about buying a vehicle to so that I can hire it out and support myself."

 

Unlike most other human beings - he thinks of what he has, not of what he doesn’t have.

 

For Jayaram Shetty, the will to live is as strong as ever.