Sharan Delhiwala, who was born with Down Syndrome, has always been encouraged to live an engaged, healthy and productive life. His mother, Parini, writes about the challenges he dealt with and and how her son enjoys trying out different activities and engages socially with family and friends.
Sharan was born on November 9, 2000. He is blessed with Down Syndrome. We are based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Syndrome undetected in Nigeria
When he was born our doctor didn’t inform us about his diagnosis. He was looking very normal. His milestones were little delayed. We thought some kids are slower and he will cope up soon. When he was 7 months old, we shifted to Nigeria. There also our doctor did not tell us anything. Sharan was getting respiratory tract infection repeatedly. This period was very bad for us as we had to visit doctors frequently. When we came to India for vacation after two years, our doctor asked us to get the Karyotype test (examines blood for abnormal chromosomes to detect genetic diseases) done and it came positive. We were shattered. It took some time for us to accept the fact. Then we started working very hard on Sharan.
We were fortunate enough to get good play school in Nigeria. However we had to struggle a lot since not many therapies were available there. After two years of play school, he got admission in the mainstream school. He was the most favourite child in the school. He was welcomed in the school whole heartedly. When he came in the 1st grade we decided to come back to India so he could get better therapies and special education.
Initial struggle
Sharan is a hardworking and dedicated boy always ready to learn new things. We struggled a lot regarding his health and academics but we overcame them with lot of efforts. He was studying in mainstream school till 5th grade. After that he was not able to cope up with studies. It was then that we shifted him to special school Pearl Special Needs Foundation, Ahmedabad. This decision was turning point in our life. His self-confidence got a boost and we became emotionally strong after getting support from his school. Sharan has cleared Xth NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) exam. Presently he is in Vocational Training Year 2 - Advance Level at Pearl Vocational Center. His Vocational Center is online due to lockdown. It is functioning wonderfully. We are amazed the way they are training our children online.
In 2016, we found that Sharan had started having difficulty in reading from the black board in the school. We consulted the doctors and he was diagnosed with Keratoconus (an eye disease that affects the structure of the cornea, resulting in loss of vision) in both the eyes. We got C3R laser treatment done to stop further damage to his cornea. With this difficulty also Sharan as a true fighter is moving ahead in his life.
Exposed him to numerous activities
Since his childhood we have exposed him to different activities. He is taking training for keyboard, painting, karate, yoga, etc. Recently, he has started taking photography lessons online. Sharan is lucky to get very good mentors for all his activities and he has done very well in all the fields. Following are few of his achievements:
- Cleared two exams in keyboard, Prarambhik and Praveshika Pratham.
- Achieved Brown Junior Belt in Karate and won Gold Medals in Kata Tournament at State level.
- Last year his art work (3 paintings) got selected for Deep Down Art exhibition - a collective exhibition of artists with Down Syndrome at Merida, Mexico.
- Two of his paintings got selected for eCAPA 2019, New Delhi - an exclusive exhibition of Art created by individuals with intellectual challenges.
- Won many prizes in painting competitions
- Last year he got an opportunity to exhibit his artwork at Abstract Studio & Gallery, Ahmedabad. His Madhubani artwork was praised and appreciated by many visitors. He gets regular orders for his Madhubani artwork which inspires and motivates him a lot.
- Has won Star Performer Award in lockdown talent hunt organised by Down Syndrome Welfare Club, Gujarat.
- Took part in 10 kms marathon last year.
Great circle of friends
Sharan is blessed to have wonderful set of friends from his Vocational Center. They all go for movies, do night outs, do birthday parties, play football and cricket matches. They also go for outstation trips for 3 nights. He is enjoying his life fully.
Sharan has been very social since his childhood. He will always greet everyone irrespective of him knowing them or not. We have been lucky to have a wonderful set of family, friends, relatives and neighbours who have always motivated and supported Sharan. Though he is not very confident of making friends with his peer group, he has always been a favorite of his cousins.
Elder brother
Sharan's elder brother, Vraj, is in California. He is extremely dedicated, caring and concerned about Sharan’s future. Both the brothers share a great bond. When he got married recently, his wife, Himaja, accepted Sharan warmly. Sharan, in turn, regards her as an older sister and addresses her as ‘didi’.
Gluten free diet
Sharan has an autoimmune condition and because of that he developed alopecia. Since last 2.5 years, Sharan is following gluten free and casein free diet. This has helped him to reverse alopecia.
We replaced -
- Wheat - with Jowar, Bajra, Amarnath, Ragi, Sattu, Besan and rice flour. You get ready made gluten free flours also.
- Milk - with homemade almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk and coconut milk.
- Paneer - with tofu.
- Curd - with peanut curd, cashew curd.
- Sugar - with dates.
- Ghee - with nut butter.
Sharan is following this diet without missing out on any dishes. Once you know the benefits of this diet you can be as creative as possible and develop your own recipes.
Sharan's favourites
- Food - gluten free and dairy free muffins.
- Activity - listening to music.
Lockdown
Sharan has used this lockdown period beautifully. He is taking many online classes like Yoga, karate, art based therapy, storytelling, dance and movement therapy. He also does regular exercise and cycling.
Unwavering support
Though Sharan’s progress is still under process, we as parents would like to share that all the above has been achieved by our constant support and Sharan’s hard work and dedication. We strongly believe that our kids can do wonders if we provide them with opportunities and support.
