SOME DOCTORS MADE MY DREAMS SEEM SMALL; OTHERS CHANGED MY LIFE

SYAM KUMAR S.S., from Kulathummal village in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, is recognised by the International Book of Records as the youngest person in the world to achieve two major feats with a prosthetic leg: completing a solo skydive from an altitude of 13,000 feet and becoming a certified paragliding pilot.

- 

Born with severe congenital health issues, including limb anomaly, a malformed renal system, a spinal tumour and congenital scoliosis, he had his first surgery 19 days after birth. At eight, his right leg was amputated. He has undergone 16 surgeries, the most recent being a lifesaving renal transplant, with his mother as the donor.

However, chronic illness, isolation, bullying and near-suicidal struggle could not drag him down. The 24-year-old spoke to Senior Assistant News Editor Ajish P. Joy. Excerpts:

Ajish P. Joy/ Welcome Syam. The 15-20 minutes we have will be inadequate to say everything you have gone through and what you have achieved. So, straight away I will request you to share your story.

Syam Kumar/ Good evening everyone. When I was born, my mother was introduced to an infant with limb anomaly—my leg was attached to my spine, near my buttocks—a duplex renal system and congenital scoliosis. My mother, from a poor family, initially felt overwhelmed, and, unable to face the challenge, imagined me dying there.

I am still proud of her choice: she did not take shortcuts to save me, instead choosing scientific options and trusting the doctors more than anything else. So, I also believe in doctors more than God. I know there were no other powers to save me. Doctors are my God; that's why I am alive now and able to do all these things.

Ajish/ What were some of the key procedures that drastically changed your life?