<p>Sharad Kumar Tekalkote was a thriving marketing professional and health freak when he suffered a brain stroke.</p>.<p>It took him years to recover, but in the process, he learnt many life lessons. There is life after a stroke, he now tells people devastated by it.</p>.<p>“I did everything---jogging, swimming, tai chi, and karate thrice a week, and was so confident about my health,” he recalls. “Let’s say I had the ego that I was the healthiest.”</p>.<p>On October 18, 2012, he suddenly found himself unable to speak in the middle of a conference. He managed to sit in a bus and reached a hospital, and was later shocked when he was told about how 30,000 brain cells die each second.</p>.<p> “I took an hour to reach the hospital. I lost my voice for three years and my right side is paralysed to this day,” he says.</p>.<p>After the surgery and a few days in the hospital he was discharged. He couldn’t do his chores, or even mouth his name or his son’s name ‘Dev’.</p>.<p>He couldn’t frame phrases or even recognise shapes. It would take him five minutes to rearrange letters to form simple words like rat and cat. Even a couple of years after his surgery, he couldn’t comprehend sentences. Today he is the author of a book and gives inspirational lectures.</p>.<p>During the recovery, Sharad went through depression and had suicidal thoughts, but his family and friends helped him keep his spirits up.</p>.<p>He is now part of an organisation called Stroke India, founded by doctors and patients.</p>.<p>“About 80 percent don’t survive an acute stroke,19 percent people give up, and only 1 percent fight. If you don’t give up, the universe will help you,” says Sharad.</p>.<p>He has spoken at many places, including Infosys, VF Brands and Rotary Club, to take his story to as many people as possible.</p>.<p>His book ‘An Incredible Journey---From Stroke to Recovery was published in 2017. It has already sold 500 copies.</p>.<p>The book is a personal journey, describing what he went through, and how determination and motivation made a difference. </p>.<p>Dr Poornima, Sharad’s therapist, was the motivation for the book, released by K R Ramesh Kumar, the then health minister.</p>.<p>“I hope to open an e-store on strokeindia.org to sell supplies, such as braces and sticks, for stroke patients. I also want to be a counsellor and will start my lessons for survivors,” he says.</p>.<p>Sharad Tekalkote can be contacted on sharad.tekalkote@gmail.com or 98862 92210.</p>
<p>Sharad Kumar Tekalkote was a thriving marketing professional and health freak when he suffered a brain stroke.</p>.<p>It took him years to recover, but in the process, he learnt many life lessons. There is life after a stroke, he now tells people devastated by it.</p>.<p>“I did everything---jogging, swimming, tai chi, and karate thrice a week, and was so confident about my health,” he recalls. “Let’s say I had the ego that I was the healthiest.”</p>.<p>On October 18, 2012, he suddenly found himself unable to speak in the middle of a conference. He managed to sit in a bus and reached a hospital, and was later shocked when he was told about how 30,000 brain cells die each second.</p>.<p> “I took an hour to reach the hospital. I lost my voice for three years and my right side is paralysed to this day,” he says.</p>.<p>After the surgery and a few days in the hospital he was discharged. He couldn’t do his chores, or even mouth his name or his son’s name ‘Dev’.</p>.<p>He couldn’t frame phrases or even recognise shapes. It would take him five minutes to rearrange letters to form simple words like rat and cat. Even a couple of years after his surgery, he couldn’t comprehend sentences. Today he is the author of a book and gives inspirational lectures.</p>.<p>During the recovery, Sharad went through depression and had suicidal thoughts, but his family and friends helped him keep his spirits up.</p>.<p>He is now part of an organisation called Stroke India, founded by doctors and patients.</p>.<p>“About 80 percent don’t survive an acute stroke,19 percent people give up, and only 1 percent fight. If you don’t give up, the universe will help you,” says Sharad.</p>.<p>He has spoken at many places, including Infosys, VF Brands and Rotary Club, to take his story to as many people as possible.</p>.<p>His book ‘An Incredible Journey---From Stroke to Recovery was published in 2017. It has already sold 500 copies.</p>.<p>The book is a personal journey, describing what he went through, and how determination and motivation made a difference. </p>.<p>Dr Poornima, Sharad’s therapist, was the motivation for the book, released by K R Ramesh Kumar, the then health minister.</p>.<p>“I hope to open an e-store on strokeindia.org to sell supplies, such as braces and sticks, for stroke patients. I also want to be a counsellor and will start my lessons for survivors,” he says.</p>.<p>Sharad Tekalkote can be contacted on sharad.tekalkote@gmail.com or 98862 92210.</p>