There is a very famous saying by Robert M. Hensel, “When everyone else says you can’t, determination says, YES YOU CAN.” Krishna Kumar is making every word of this statement true by overcoming every obstacle that comes his way.
Krishna is diagnosed with the genetic disease known as ‘Spinal Muscular Atrophy’ and experienced a gradual impairment of muscular strength. But his disability has never stopped him from achieving his dream.
Krishna empowers people with genetic disorders via his NGO MinD (Mobility in Dystrophy). “Like we all have devotion to something/ someone, I have mine towards MinD. There are no such things happening in my life apart from MinD!” says Krishna while describing his passion.
His Story
Krishna was born with a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy due to which he cannot use his hands and legs. His limbs are paralysed and he can only use his eyes voluntarily. While travelling from Guruvayur, Krishna and his family met with a terrible accident and his father and younger sister died. Krishna and his mother survived this accident but Krishna lost both his arms and legs.
After this incident, Krishna decided to do something for people with disability and to empower them. Krishna does not shy away from using the word disabled people, he asserts, “I must say it is ‘disabled’ and not that fancy word ‘differently abled’! Yes, we at MinD have always aimed to work for increasing accessibility for the disabled and have conducted several activities across the state during times.”
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Breaking The Barrier With MinD
Krishna and his team at MinD are working diligently to create public awareness about Muscular Dystrophy and Spinal Muscular Dystrophy. The NGO encourages disabled people to continue their education and helps them to get employment opportunities through skill development.
MinD was started as a Whatsapp group only by four people who suffered from Muscular Dystrophy disorders. This group was made to share the mental, physical and financial problems of such people. These group discussions made them realise that there is a strong need to bring the attention of the government and other authorities to this cause. And that is how MinD was born.
MinD is an organisation built for the people and by the people who have MD and SMA disease. These people are standing together and fighting with the society that thinks that people with disabilities cannot do anything on their own. The aim of MinD is to make an inclusive society where differently able people can also lead a normal life with dignity and respect.
Krishna inspires people on different occasions and seminars through his speeches. Recently, MinD started a campaign called “Break the barrier” to create awareness for the cause. “With the help of our MLA at Chavara constituency of the Kerala State legislative, we have successfully completed a survey on public places to understand and marginalise the accessibility structures required to make our home town accessible for all fellow beings!” mentions Krishna.
The Life Must Go On…
Krishna always believes that no matter what challenges come your way, life must go on! Those who keep working towards their goals will eventually win. He mentions that guiding and supporting others gives happiness and satisfaction to oneself the most. It gives us more happiness than the person who is receiving it. He adds further, “Far before years, I got myself transferred from ‘me’ to ‘us’. There are no singular verbs used thereafter when I speak about such things!”
Krishna Kumar is a true embodiment of anything that is possible if the person has a firm determination. He is inspiring millions of people with his firm determination, hard work and grit.
