Ajay Ashok

Ajay worked for a volunteer organization as a paramedic that assisted individuals who had contracted leprosy in the slums of New Delhi. Ajay believes that a sick or disabled individual should not be treated differently, but with dignity and equal opportunity.

In 2004, Ajay was involved in a severe traffic accident, in which all individuals except him perished. He was riding a bus when it suddenly collided head on with a truck. The driver and passengers in front of Ajay were killed on impact. Ajay survived but his left knee and lower leg were crushed beyond repair, leading to his amputation.

Since his amputation, Ajay has struggled finding work. He was fit with a Jaipur limb, but it did not provide him with enough mobility to allow him to return to work. He opened up his own repair shop in an effort to continue to provide for his wife, 14-year-old son, and 12-year old daughter. The irony of this story is that here is a gentleman using his talents to help the poor and disabled in his country who then became one of those very persons.  As a result, he has since been denied the opportunity to serve that population.  Unfortunately, this is a story heard far too often from the disabled in spite of the many other qualifications that they may have.

Ajay was fitted with the LIMBS Knee in the summer of 2010, during the Technology Certification Workshop in New Delhi, India. Ajay feels that with more practice he can master the advantages of the LIMBS Knee and can achieve a normal gait. Ajay hopes that with the more normal walk that the LIMBS knee offers he will finally not be denied employment due to the illusion of a disability.