Every person has their own personal Everest to conquer. Their own indomitable mountain that seems so tall and vast that climbing to its peak appears almost impossible. For most people, these mountains exist only in the mind, and their conquest can only be done with great willpower and determination.
But for some, the mountains are not just mental, but physical too, and overcoming them requires an unbelievable effort. Arunima Sinha’s story was one such. Born on 20th July, 1988 in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, Sinha was always gifted at sports. Indeed, her passion led her to becoming a national level volleyball and football player. As a child she dreamed of representing her country and winning great glory on an international stage. But in 2011, an incident changed everything.
She was travelling by train to Delhi for a job interview. A few men noticed she was travelling alone and surrounded her and tried to snatch the gold chain she was wearing. Arunima resisted their efforts initially, but they soon overpowered her, and threw her onto the train tracks. Another train coming from the other side crushed both her legs and she lay on the tracks for the rest of the night, bleeding and in pain. The next morning, some villagers saw her and took her to the local hospital where she was operated upon. To avoid the risk of gangrene setting in, the doctors amputated one of her legs while she was fully conscious. The pain was indescribable, and Arunima survived only because of her grit and the efforts of the medical staff.
When the surgery was done, she told herself that she would not let this tragedy define her. That she would conquer this seemingly insurmountable obstacle placed before her. Arunima decided that she would become a mountaineer.
Her path to becoming a mountain climber was rocky to say the least. People told her that she could not hope to become a mountain climber on one leg. She did not even have enough strength in her remaining leg and the prosthetic one to carry her body weight. But all the negativity became fuel for her. And her determination to prove all the naysayers wrong only increased. She trained relentlessly to become a mountaineer. And one day, she climbed all the way up to Mount Everest, and reached the summit. The first Indian female amputee to do so.
Arunima Sinha battled great odds to conquer her personal Everest. And while many people may not have to face problems at the same scale as she did, their own challenges can also be daunting. One such personal Everest that people face is quitting smoking. Many people are unable to quit for years. But with the right inspiration and huge determination, it is possible.
With an aim to inspire people to quit smoking, Nicotex has launched a social movement #ICanYouCan. The movement aims to invite stories from people who have managed to conquer their personal Everest of quitting smoking or are on the journey to do so and inspire thousands of others in the process. So, share your story on how you are trying to quit smoking on Nicotex’s Facebook page or on Twitter using #ICanYouCan and you can win a chance to go to the Everest base camp.
Register here : www.icanyoucan.in
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)