Abhishek Gogoi, a Special Olympics Bharat athlete, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. He was slower than his peers and had difficulty controlling his muscles.
He soon found his strength in the love of his parents. He was enrolled in a regular school so that he could experience an inclusive education. At the age of 11, he lost his father – who was his biggest source of support – to cancer.
His father used to work as a producer and director at a local TV station and was the family’s sole breadwinner. After this death, his mother moved back to her hometown in Guwahati with him.
There, he made a lot of friends and found his purpose through the Special Olympics. In early 2018, he took part in a national cycling championship held in Ranchi, and set the national record for the 10km Individual category. This also helped him qualify for the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Abu Dhabi.
Abhishek has come a long way since then, he has overcome a lot of hurdles and taken all the curveballs life threw at him with a positive outlook.
He is now fulfilling his dream to follow the footsteps of his father. He recently made his directorial debut through a short film that he dedicated to his father. The short film has made it among the 100 shortlisted entries in the competition.
While some people were busy believing all the things Abhishek could not do; he was busy proving them wrong.