Diagnosis of paralysis at the young age of 15 disheartened Insha Bashir, and her parents. She spent nine years of her life in bed and saw no hope for herself. But after her father’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, she gathered her courage and became determined to turn her life around. She became a part of basketball groups and with constant practice went on to play for India’s basketball team.
Jammu and Kashmir: Basketball player Insha Bashir was bedridden for nine years, went through many painful surgeries as her treatment and now she plays for India’s Basketball team. This story speaks of struggles, disappointments, endurance, hopes and successes.
Insha was 15 years old when she was diagnosed with paralysis. Her body from below the waist had paralyzed and the doctors told her that she would never be able to walk again in her life.
Nine years in bed
Insha sighs and takes a deep breath before sharing her story with us. She finds it excruciating to recollect her memories from her painful past. She said that the problems started with her getting ulcers and mouth bleeding.
One day she felt sick and fell down, she was taken to the hospital to receive treatment. Various tests were performed, and after a few days, it was found that she had paralysis. Insha was admitted to the hospital for three months, and her parents couldn’t gather up the courage to tell her what had happened.
Her whole body became sore from lying in bed for months. A fear groped at Insha’s heart and she knew that something was wrong. Later, she was made aware of her condition, and she could not even stand the thought of being a paralyzed person.
She imagined her dreams shattering in front of her and she felt so helpless. Her doctor told her that everything would be fine after five years. Insha said, “These five years seemed like fifty to me. My father took me from Delhi to Mumbai to the best of hospitals but to no avail. In 2012, the medical reports said that I would never be able to stand again. I spent nine years in bed and they felt like a punishment I received for doing nothing.”
Father’s deteriorating health
Over the years, from being a jolly kid, Insha became a quiet person. She mostly remained silent and didn’t like to make conversations with anyone. The four walls of her room became her life. As a kid, she had dreamed of becoming a doctor and liked to play cricket in the ground next to her house. But now her paralysis sent her into depression.
To double her sorrows, her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome. Her father had been a strong pillar in her life, and now his health was getting poorer by each day. Insha decided to pull herself together and be the same source of happiness, her parents had proved themselves for her.
She wanted to get out of those four walls and live fully for herself and her parents. She had a lot to prove and took on this opportunity to be a supporting figure for her family.
Love for basketball
Once Insha was brimming with determination, opportunities paved the way for her success. She gives credit to ‘The Voluntary Medicare Society of Srinagar’ for encouraging her to find a new way to lead her life. There, she was taught to be independent which helped her to erase her mentality of thinking that she was weak because she was handicapped.
She rose above this thinking and considered her capabilities as no less than any other person’s. One day, she saw a group of boys playing basketball and expressed her wish to play with them. That’s where it all started. She loved how independent and capable it made her feel.
Global basketball competitions
Insha honed her skills at playing basketball as a wheelchair player by working hard every day. With her consistent practice, she made it to district-level and then national-level competitions. Initially, she had to play in the boys’ team as girls had no separate team of their own.
Insha felt proud of herself when in 2019, she got the chance to play as part of the Indian basketball team. She had no words to describe what wearing the Indian jersey made her feel like. She had never imagined that even after her condition, she would ever be able to do something big like this.
She had been so oblivious to the opportunities that awaited her and now as if all her dreams were being realized into reality. She played against the USA team in the international basketball tournament. The then Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju congratulated Insha on her success by felicitating her with an expensive sports wheelchair.
Insha participated in many more tournaments while completing her education. She also works as a volunteer at Volunteer Medicare Society in Srinagar, a place where she first received her inspiration.
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