Treated for brain haemorrhage in Chennai as newborn, teen now wins gold in roller skating at Special Olympics

Deepen Sakhrani, 18, won 3 gold medals in roller skating at Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. At 2 months, he had seizures & was put on ventilator. Dr. Ramachandran, head of Intensive Care, said there were moments of little hope. With parents' support, Deepen made a recovery & is now pursuing a degree in hotel management. Prakash & Nikita, his parents, thanked Dr. Ramachandran & the hospital for treatment & moral support. Deepen aspires to become a chef & excel in roller skating.

When he was two months old, Deepen Sakhrani, who was a perfectly healthy baby until then, suddenly developed seizures. He was taken to Kanchi Kamakoti CHILDS Trust Hospital in Chennai, where doctors found there was bleeding inside his brain.

The infant was put on ventilator for many days. Bala Ramachandran, head of the Department of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine at the hospital, who then treated Deepen, said there were moments during the hospitalisation, when there was little hope that he would make it. He, however, made a recovery, although the brain suffered a minor impact.

Eighteen years later, the boy, who everyone thought may not survive, has won three gold medals in roller skating at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin this year, where more than 7,000 athletes from across the world participated. He struck gold in the 200 metre relay and the 500 metre and 1,000 metre races.

Dr. Ramachandran said what affected Deepen as a child was a late onset hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, for which a common cause is the failure to give a Vitamin K injection to newborns. However, it happened to Deepen despite getting a Vitamin K shot, he said. He added that Deepen’s parents never lost faith and, with their support, he has achieved so much. He said Deepen’s success was also a reminder to junior doctors working in ICUs that they should never give up, however severe a child’s illness may be.

Addressing media at the hospital on Saturday, Prakash Sakhrani, the boy’s father, thanked Dr. Ramachandran and the hospital for the treatment and moral support they provided. Nikita Sakhrani, Deepen’s mother, expressed her gratitude to the organisation, Special Olympics Bharat, which helped Deepen. Deepen, who is pursuing a degree in hotel management, said he aspires to become a chef while excelling further in roller skating.