Getting something we always wished for is definitely a moment of excitement and celebration. Be it our first bicycle, first mobile phone, first job, or first home, we all wish to celebrate all the steps of climbing the ladder of success in life. But for Neha, this excitement was felt when she received her first fully functional prosthetic leg which I believe, no one will ever find a happy accomplishment.
Yet Neha Bhatt not only cherished the moment when she received a fake leg but in fact decided to make it her new identity. Her life had a different beat for her and she ended up dancing to the melodies of life with a prosthetic leg!
On her way to finalize the paperwork for her first self-earned home, Neha met a life-changing accident swapping her left leg with a prosthetic leg. And her life changed drastically for one and for all. Neha’s story is all about a dreadful past, a hustling present, and the bright future she aims for with one prosthetic leg.
Who is Amputee Neha Bhatt?
Never say I want to die!
Amputee Neha Bhatt
Meet Amputee Neha Bhatt, the girl identified with a prosthetic leg from the small town of Mahua in Gujarat. She grew up in a poor family, and her father was a daily wage laborer being the only earning person in the whole family. Watching her father struggle every day, all Neha ever wanted was to give him the rest and luxury he deserves in life. She aimed to stand strong on her own legs and be the financial backbone of her family.
For a young girl who had to battle different challenges in several walks of life, her “never say I want to die” attitude is what strengthens her spirit of life. Right after completing her schooling, she hustled every day and got a job as a teacher in Ahmedabad, starting a new chapter of her life. Living in a rental home all her life, she wished to experience the joy of having her own terrace and after struggling for years she finally booked an apartment in her hometown.
Filled with joy, tears, and excitement of finally having a “home”, she was traveling early on a Saturday morning to complete the final payment and paperwork. Little did she know that this ride from Ahmedabad to Bhavnagar was going to cost her a leg, changing the way she dreamt of living her life.
The accident that added a Prosthetic Leg to Neha’s life
Neha met a life-changing accident as her bus was hit by a truck leaving it shredded in two pieces. Being in the front seat, she absorbed 80% of the total damage caused. From 7 AM to 4 PM, she was left sobbing in her own blood and crushed bones and after visiting four different hospitals, she received a proper medical aid at midnight along with a news that changed her whole life.
For her parents wish to save Neha’s life at any cost, the doctors advised to remove 50% of her left leg followed by another 20% adding the tag “Amputee Neha” for the rest of her life. Following this she spent months on bed rest with her whole life and future dreams falling apart right in front of her eyes.
She would often fall badly on days waking up unconsciously from her nap for a washroom break, leaving her alone in her misery and suffering as she would forget that she has lost a leg and that she can not walk normally anymore. Neha decided that hope does not end until you say so and after recovering from her depression and suicidal thoughts.
Neha began her research and discovered remarkable individuals who led fulfilling lives even with a prosthetic leg. However, when she checked the price of this advanced prosthetic leg, she almost lost hope of living a normal life.
Coming from a very humble background, purchasing a prosthetic leg was a struggle in itself for this young girl. But it was during this challenging time that her good karma came into play. Throughout her life, Neha had been a sweetheart, and when fate turned against her, people she had once called friends appeared as angels sent by God. With their support, she was able to acquire a prosthetic leg through crowdfunding and got ready to face new challenges in her life.
From Amputee Neha to “Ampu-tea” Neha
“I explored every work-from-home opportunity and tried everything I could to mentally overcome my disability but there were days when I felt an unbearable pain in my chest for confining to the four walls of my home. That’s when I made a conscious choice to reclaim the life I once knew, to embrace the fearless and independent woman I used to be.
Amputee Neha Bhatt
Returning to her normal life posed significant challenges, as her prosthetic leg would pain making it impossible for her to walk like before. However, she decided to resume a fresh beginning, just like a child taking his first baby steps towards independence, learning to stand and walk.
Being a “chai-lover” herself, Neha decided to start her own tea stall across the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. Her journey as Ampu-tea Neha is more than just serving tea, it’s a celebration of her resilience and the desire to not be dependent on anybody. Within 5 days of opening her stall, Neha and her story were all over the internet making her a star and hope for the disabled.
Numerous social media influencers visited her stall and amplified her story. It seemed like a glimmer of hope for Neha to get back to living a normal life with a prosthetic leg. However life threw another hurdle her way when government communities intervened, claiming her stall’s location to be inappropriate and dismantling her stall.
They tossed my stall in a van and used words like “gadi me dalo isko” as if I was a trash can. At that point my spirit broke and I started crying feeling completely helpless once again in life.
Amputee Neha Bhatt
Neha’s unbreakable spirit pushed her to find a new spot for her ‘chai’ stall with local support even with a prosthetic leg, Neha is ready to fight everything in life just so that her story can become an inspiration for all the amputee people out there.
A 10rs cup of tea isn’t helping her make thousands for her family, but the blessings, love, and support she gets from the locals is her strength now. While fighting her own battle, Neha wishes to fight with everybody who feels like giving up in life because they become amputees which is why along with her tea stall she visits formal gatherings like a motivational speaker inspiring several people with her own life story.
Ampu-tea Neha’s prosthetic leg journey is proof that life’s most challenging chapters can be turned into great stories of motivation. To know more about her, visit her Instagram page.
If you loved reading this inspirational story of Amputee Neha Bhatt, than do give a read to the story of a 50-year-old man teaching underprivileged kids for free after loosing a child to tumor.
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