This specially-abled CA defied all odds to become self-dependent. Don’t pity the differently-abled, provide fair opportunities.

• Hi, I am Padmakar Cheenepalli, a chartered accountant who never let his disability stop him. 
• When I lost the ability to walk at the age of 9, doctors told my parents that I wouldn’t live for my 18th birthday.
• But my desire to make something of myself and my parents’ unconditional support changed my course of life.
• I defied all odds to become a CA and now work at one of the Big 4 firms like any other employee.

Losing the ability to walk at the age of 9

Growing up in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, I was a very active kid.

I had been an ardent lover of cricket from a young age and would play the game pretty much every day as a kid.

So you can imagine how much of a shock it was for me when I was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disorder where one’s muscle decays over time.