14-year-old author with Spinal Muscular Atrophy inspires others with her resilience and determination

Keya Hatkar, a young author and motivational speaker with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, inspires others with her resilience and determination.

Keya Hatkar, who was conferred with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar for 2025, is confident of bringing a change in the lives of countless children, like her, who are living with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) with the support of her mother, sister and teacher.

Ms. Keya was felicitated by the Visakha Rasagna Vedika, a cultural organisation, at the Public Library here on Tuesday evening. The audience in the large hall listened in rapt attention as she spoke, sitting on a wheelchair, recalled her troubled childhood and the support of her mother.

All of 14, the determination in her voice, her indomitable spirit and also her understanding of her rare medical condition, was evident as she spoke at length on the troubles her family had undergone, and also on the plight of those having children with such rare disorders. She gives full credit to ther mother and also her teacher, who had identified her talent in writing and speaking.

“At 10 months, when I was diagnosed with the rare spinal disorder, I was given only two years to live. My dad had abandoned us as there was no awareness in those days. My case is SMA type-II, and I was destined to live for two years. But, today I am alive and I owe it to my mom and grandparents. Today, I have two dozen titanium screws in my body. You can call me a titanium girl.”

“The medicines required for me are the most expensive in the world. They cost ₹80 lakh, a year. You can imagine the financial burden of families having such children. Mom had only two options – to break down and give up or to never ever give up – and she chose the second option,” she said amidst applause from the crowd.

Her writing journey began two years ago, when she was on bed waiting for surgery in 2022. Her first book “Dancing on wheels” became a best seller, and her second “I ‘m possible” won the best young author award. She also wrote a third book on “How to write a book”. Later, she also became a motivational speaker on the Tedx platform.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi got to know of her talents and she got selected for the ‘Bal Puraskar’. “The greatest moment in my life was when officials of the Ministry of Women Welfare and Child Development, called me a few days ago and told me that Prime Minister had wanted my books to be translated into all regional languages.” “We should turn our disabilities into our strengths, and we should all come together for inclusive growth,” she concluded.