Wheel chair-bound patients inspire by participating in the Airtel Marathon 5K run

The 5k run of the Airtel

Marathon

, hosted on Saturday at

HITEX

, had a surprise element in the form of feisty patients on wheel-chairs, from

ApoKOS

Rehabilitation centre.

The contingent of 40 people from ApoKOS, which included 3 patients, inspired and motivated other participants and by-standers with their indomitable spirit. These three strong-willed individuals recovered from serious ailments and desired to display their never-say-die attitude. Among them was 38-year-old

Rajesh Karnatakapu

from Hyderabad, who had a spinal cord injury in a road accident.

64-year-old, Joachim August Lyimo from Tanzania, a prostate cancer patient, which led to a pathological fracture injuring his spinal cord and the 20-year-old Isse Abdullahi from Somalia with a bullet injury in the spinal cord, also participated.

Apart from the three patients, the contingent of therapists, doctors and para-medics went about spreading their theme of ‘Let nothing stop you.’ The team had placards with messages that read, ‘What matters is the spirit, not the distance’, ‘I took the challenge, how about you’, ‘I Can. I Will’, ‘It’s hard but not impossible’, ‘My spirit is my energy.’