In October, 2013 – A nine-year-old Jaaikaran was put through a test of resilience and strength when he fell down his school stairs and broke his right arm.
After being admitted to the Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, he was told by the attending surgeon that he had what was called Compartment Syndrome which meant that unless they relieved some of the pressure on his arm, he would lose blood flow to it, rendering it useless.
Within a week, Jaaikaran went through four different surgeries: the first being a deep 2 inch cut on his arm to alleviate the blood pressure, along with a long titanium wire running from his wrist to his elbow, to keep the arm’s structural integrity; the second, third, and fourth surgeries consecutively closed up the initial cut that they made, little by little.
Still after twelve days in the hospital, a restless Jaaikaran was made to sleep with his arm tied up to an IV drip, elevated and uncomfortable, while going through three painful months of physiotherapy to regain the use of his dominant hand.
Being only a child, Jaaikaran was not able to understand why something like this happened to him, but his strength of character, and commitment to getting better, helped him overcome this adversity.
Through this life changing accident, Jaaikaran’s sensitivity to people going through pain increased exponentially. He realised that all humans going through pain need love and support, no matter where they come from or what their circumstances are, and deserve to be treated with the same amount of respect and love. This led him to engage with his community and create a difference for people who he felt really needed it.