Congratulations on your beautiful new children’s book! What can readers expect?
The Girl Who Figured It Out is about my journey from being a paralyzed orphan from India to becoming an Ironman World Champion. In the story, I share different challenges that I experienced growing up, like learning how to walk with leg braces and crutches, to figuring out how to ride the school bus with my sister, to becoming an athlete as an adult, to learning how to swim, bike, and run as a wheelchair athlete. And through all of those challenges, I fall, I struggle, I fail. But through it all, I figure out a way to get myself back up and achieve whatever goal that I set for myself. I’m hoping that some of these lessons of hard work, believing in yourself, and never giving up can resonate with all kinds of readers.
What advice would you share with young people with disabilities who are just trying to figure it out?
Know that you have what you need inside of you to figure things out. The title of my book is based on my dad’s words. He never told me I couldn’t do something. Every time I’d come up to him and say, “I want to do X, Y, and Z” he’d say, “okay, figure it out.” You have to just start. And it’s okay to mess up. But keep doing it. Remember, we all have to adapt to our own circumstances, but you don’t have to do it alone.
What disability rights issue is your biggest advocacy priority right now?
Accessibility is top of mind for me. I used braces and crutches for a lot of my life, and it wasn’t until I turned 30 that I started shifting to becoming more of a wheelchair user. And that’s because I wanted to save my arms, and also since becoming a parent, it was just a lot easier to be a mom in a wheelchair versus crutch around because I can’t carry anything. And becoming a wheelchair user while living in New York City was tough because it’s a very difficult city to navigate. I encountered accessibility issues on a regular basis, from navigating Access-A-Ride to the lack of curb cuts. And the elevator at my daughter’s daycare was not working for a while even though I asked them to fix it so I could pick up my own kid at this daycare that I’m paying for. We shouldn’t be experiencing these issues so long after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
You continue to accomplish so much! How do you take time to relax and restore?
To me, it’s about prioritizing what’s important. Things that really allow me to unwind include listening to podcasts, exercising, spending time with my daughter. It’s in those quiet moments where I’m not having to engage with a lot of people where I feel like I can restore and get some energy back.
Looking ahead, what’s next on your exciting journey?
Right now, I’m really thrilled about the reception of the book, I’m going to continue to try to be a good mom and focus on work and my family. I did sign up for another triathlon this year because I like having a physical goal to work towards. And I am also focusing on some advocacy with the global immunization groups that I’m a part of. I’m one of the very few individuals who are living with polio today in the United States. Polio still exists in other parts of the world but there is a real possibility that we can eradicate it. I’m so glad I get to use my platform for good to raise awareness.