What does one need to add meaning to one’s life? Perhaps all it takes is a dream. At least that’s what helps this inspiring lady, Jyoti Arora, move ahead in life. She has beaten all odds to come up with her just released novel Dream’s Sake and is cherishing her dream of becoming an author turning into reality.
Jyoti, 34, is a Class 7 dropout, who’s suffering from a genetic blood disorder, thalassamia major. Along with massive medication and daily injections, Jyoti’s survival depends on blood transfusion she gets every 20-25 days.
“My medical condition made me quit my regular schooling, but could not make me give up my dream of becoming a writer. I pursued my studies from home,” says a cheerful Jyoti.
Having to do all her studies on her own wasn’t easy for Jyoti, who holds postgraduate degrees in English Literature and Applied Psychology.
“I especially missed the fun that one can have with one’s classmates, but studying from home also gave me plenty of time to dive deep into the world of books. So, in a way, the disease brought me closer to books and gave me the freedom to pursue my dream,” she says.
It’s perhaps this cheerfulness and positive attitude that helped Jyoti overcome all obstacles in life.
Interestingly, her book, published by V&S Publishers, doesn’t directly talk about thalassemia. The story is fast-paced and intense and is a tale of two closely interlinked love stories. Together, the two stories show how far a person can go to fulfill the dream of a loved one.
She explains, “Dream’s Sake displays how a traumatic event can affect a person’s psyche and influence his or her actions, reactions and thought process. But it does show the fears and insecurities, hopes and despair that rage on in the hearts of people the society labels as differently-abled. It shows the prejudices that such people have to face and fight against on a daily basis.”
While Jyoti might have proved that her disease couldn’t hold her back from doing what she wanted to achieve in life, she has a few concerns.
“It’s unfortunate that thalassemia patients have to face a lot of bias, particularly when it comes to jobs. Also, the medical treatment is expensive and cumbersome. I know many patients who lose hope and slip into depression,” informs Jyoti, who’s working on her second book and trying to work for such patients.