At the age of 12, Shrradha’s family was told that this little angel had only 6 months to live. How she fought against the deadly disease – LUPUS, to rewrite her destiny is an inspiring story.
“We write our own destiny. We become what we fight for.”
At the age of 4, when little girls play with their toys carefree, Shrradha was struggling with an unknown disease that no one was aware of.
After struggling for 8 more years, she came to know that the unknown disease that she was suffering from was LUPUS. This news not only complicated Shrradha’s life but also shattered her parents and sister.
What Is Lupus?
As many of us are not aware of LUPUS, we can hardly understand the struggle that this little girl and her family underwent.
LUPUS is a health problem in which our own immune system starts attacking our healthy body cells – causing swelling, pain and tissue damage.
While Shrradha’s own body was fighting against her own self, she never lost her hope of living. She fought like a true warrior and her inspiring journey is for those who admire real courage.
How Did Her Battle Against Lupus Start?
She was 4 when she got a fever that lasted for a couple of weeks. Though she was given medication, doctors concluded her illness as tuberculosis.
But, strangely, there was no sign of tuberculosis.
Rather she started showing some strange behavioral changes, high body temperature, stomach aches and rashes on her face that no doctor could explain.
As there wasn’t any doctor who knew how to treat LUPUS, almost all the hospitals in Mumbai told her parents that it was impossible for Shrradha to cope up with the disease.
With time, her condition kept getting worse and her pain kept becoming more powerful.
She started facing more painful symptoms including constant fatigue and kidney damage. To cope up with the symptoms, doctors prescribed strong steroids that made her life even more difficult.
Steroids left her face swollen so badly that no one could recognize her.
Because of the swollen face, the doctors suggested her to undergo kidney biopsy. But, doctors wanted her to undergo biopsy without being unconscious as she was at risk of slipping into a comma.
Hence, this brave soul underwent biopsy while embracing the unbearable amount of pain.
But, there was no end to her misery. On the same day, she got a cerebral attack that left her paralyzed.
But, she refused to give up. With her strong will and determination, she soon started walking on her feet.
Though, she didn’t recover fully as her body was still struggling with water retention. Because of which, for years, she was forced to live only on 3 biscuits & 3 glasses of water
And, soon in 2008, doctors declared her cured and labeled her as ‘the miracle child’.
It is quite inspiring to know how even after struggling so much, she never gave up on life.
But in 2011, she lost her mother, who was a pillar of strength of her life. This loss shattered her from within. And seven years later, she lost her father too.
But, none of these events have broken her spirit to bring change.
In an exclusive interview with I FOR HER, she shared how society never accepted her:
“We live in a judgmental society. So, when I gained weight because of strong steroids, society started judging me for my looks.
Rather than applauding my courage to fight back, they would break my spirit. People used to tell me – I will never get married and I will never get successful.
But, what they didn’t know that my faith in the creator and unconditional support of my family & friends had made me unbreakable.
Though the society was struggling to love me, I was busy in loving myself. I worked really hard to accept myself as I am.”
It was this society’s unacceptance to LUPUS, that pushed Shrradha to bring change.
Now, Shrradha runs a lot of campaigns to educate parents and society about LUPUS. She is more than happy if she could lessen down the pain of even a single child. But, she is not only making our society ready to accept LUPUS.
Along with her sister, she is also creating a platform for children with down syndrome so that society can offer them a better chance at life.
