Hardships often prepare an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny. The inspirational story we are about to share goes back to 2011. An ambitious, young man, after studying Hotel Management in Nashik, Maharashtra, was all set to join a cruise ship in Singapore when his life took a turn towards adversity. On 12th May, 2011, his leg slipped from a moving train and he lost both his legs. Such was the generosity of the people present there, that everybody watched him suffer and cry out for help but none of them stepped forward to have his back. In that moment of extreme pain, he called his friends, who came and took him to the hospital.
Terror struck him and his family when the doctors mentioned “amputation”. For majority of us it is just a word, but for him it was going to be a sad truth of his life. It was a successful operation of a huge loss. The person in question, Sushil Arun Shimpi, became a double amputee below the knees. After 6 months of bed rest, the idea of artificial limbs and prosthetics seemed to be a silver lining behind the dark clouds. But the weak financial condition of his family made it difficult for him to afford one. It was with the cooperation of his friends and family, that he stood back on his “artificial” legs once again. With revived confidence and courage, he leaped back to his life and that marked the beginning of a new chapter.
He realised that this was not the time to sit back in fear, but to move forward in faith. And so, he did. Advised by the doctors to use his prosthetics just for the purpose of walking, he dared to go overboard. He explored new things he could do with the artificial limbs and kept trying until he succeeded. He started driving a car, riding, cycling and even trekking. He was approached by a group, “The Challenging Ones”, comprising of people who were differently abled like him. It was then when he was introduced to the world of marathons. His first was Standard Chartered Marathon in Mumbai in January, 2014. There has been no looking back since then. He has been a part of various marathons across the country, including Tapi Run in Surat and Atlas Cyclothon, 2017, following the “blade” steps of India’s first Blade Runner, Major DP Singh.
His list of achievements does not end here. Undoubtedly, adversity introduces a man to himself and his capabilities. He did a trek at the highest peak of Maharashtra, “Kalsubai”. Bike riding has been his passion. In 2016, he along with his friend, Vinod Rawat (also a single amputee), rode a Royal Enfield Bullet at Ladakh as a tribute to the soldiers lost in the URI attack. Recently, from 30th July to 10th August, he left his trail on the highest motorable road of the world in a cycling expedition of 525 km from Manali to Khardungla. This venturous expedition was successfully completed with the support of “Adventures Beyond Barriers”. He himself, is the president of Jalgaon wing of Convoy Control Club, a club of physically disabled but adventuresome riders.
In this time of trial and drastic changes, what remained constant was the love of his wife for him who, at the time of the accident, was his ladylove. After a communication gap of 6 months, when she was told about the unfortunate incident, she stayed true to her commitment and decided to be his partner for life. Successfully completing 5 years of marriage, he describes her as his strong support and inspiration.
Sushil Shimpi considers his once a weakness as his utmost strength today which is steering him forward to challenge his own limits and keeping him ready to take on any challenge, come what may. It is his appeal to the fellow citizens to never ignore anyone in need. Your timely help can prove to be a boon for someone.
His life journey, clearly proves that our past does not determine our destiny; our decisions do.
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