Alexis Leon
Paresh Palicha & Madhulika Goyal

A successful author, the Managing Director of his own company, a consultant, a voracious reader, an articulate speaker...the labels we would use to describe Alexis Leon are many. Yet, but for the many ifs that are sprinkled through our lives, he too would have followed the path of any other software professional -maybe working sixteen-hours a day in the US of A. However his memories, of the way his life took a few unexpected turns are graphic and speak for themselves...

"...1 was in tremendous pain. My head was throbbing and felt as if it was going to explode. My collarbone was also fractured (I didn't know it then) and was giving a great amount of pain. I was having great difficulty in breathing and couldn't move my legs. In fact, I wasn't able to feel anything below the chest. I wished I were dead...

". ..the policeman had tried to lift me into an automobile. But since I was very heavy ( about 72Kg) he couldn't do that. With the help of the auto driver, he dragged me onto the floor of the vehicle. But since I had very broad shoulders I wouldn't fit in there too. So I was made to lie at a very awkward angle on the floor, till I reached the hospital, which was only half a kilometer from the accident site. In fact every rule regarding 'How to treat a spinal cord injury patient' was violated."

What do you do when you see an accident victim on the road? Speed away from the spot as fast as you can, or bundle him into the car and rush him to hospital? Most of us don't realise that both responses are wrong. Alexis suffered spinal cord injury in an accident and found that his condition was compounded by the ignorance of the policeman at the site.

"...in the case of accidents, the cardinal principle is not to move or turn the person. This is under the assumption that any accident can result in a spinal cord injury (SCI). The patient should not be moved till medical help arrives and even after that, all care must be taken not to move the spine. The first aid courses the policemen are supposed to take when they join duty are supposed to include this."

In his twenties at the time, life for Alexis, had seemed to be on the threshold of all that was exciting and adventurous. An industrial engineer, he was working with Tata Consultancy Services as a Senior Systems Analyst. His wedding was just a few weeks away and he had planned to honeymoon in Switzerland since he was going there for a training programme anyway.

That morning had been like any other. Work, laughter, inconsequential chatter, shopping for the imminent wedding ...the things that make up the mosaic of all our lives.

"... the day was 2nd December 1993. I had gone for a coffee with my friends who were teasing me about my plans to honeymoon in Switzerland. Around 1 I a.m, I left the office for an appointment. I was waiting at a traffic junction for the light to change and when it turned green, I started my bike. I had started driving right when I was in college and had no accidents in the last six years. My reflexes were extremely sharp. But that day my driving skills, my reflexes, and most importantly, my luck failed me. I was crossing the road, when another vehicle jumped the light and hit me. It must have been moving at a very high speed, because I was thrown off the bike. I landed on the road on my head and right shoulder: In the process, my spine was bent and got crushed."

An accident...which completely altered the dreams Alexis had dreamed. No honeymoon in Switzerland. No marriage. In fact no riding on bikes anymore. For months he underwent treatment and therapy, trying to come to terms with the fact that life would move on two wheels henceforth.

…after assessment at the rehabilitation centre, (I still remember that the day was January 15, 1994), the occupational the therapisttold me that my goal would be to attain 'wheelchair independence'. I didn't immediately realize that she was saying that I wouldn't be able to walk again. When the realization came, it was such a shock, that I was not able to react at all. I had to use all my will power to appear calm and smile, because my parents and my brother were with me. I thought "If I crumble, so will they". So I smiled (if one can call that a smile) and asked her "when do we start?"

By linking the process of rehabilitation with his professional training, Alexis found his own path to re-attaining some measure of control in life. He learnt the power of group interaction, motivational therapy, repetitive activity and even how to try a 'wheelie' again!

"…in Industrial Engineering , one of the fundamental principles is to produce maximum results with minimum resources. We call it Productivity Improvement. In the rehabilitation process that is exactly what is done. Rigorous exercises are used to strengthen the upper limbs, which are the ones which will be used for most activities. It is a very hard and lengthy process and there are no easy roads to it. One has to sweat it out.

"The rehabilitation centre is like a joint family. People of different castes, from different states, from different social, financial and educational backgrounds, co-exist and help each other in such a way that is beyond imagination. There are games, sports, recreational activities and cultural programs to entertain you. There are group discussions, where people share their experiences, anxieties, aspirations, difficulties and fears and try to find solutions for them. Here also there is constant motivation, help encourgement and even participation, from the therapists and doctors.

"I was also taught how to be independent on a wheelchair by the occupational therapists. They taught me how to propel the wheelchair gracefully, how to do the transfers from bed to wheelchair, from wheelchair to car, etc…Advanced wheel chair training involved doing 'wheelies' on the wheelchair to get past small hurdles and to travel on rough terrain. When the doctors and the therapists felt that I was ready to face the realworld, they said it was time to go".

The body was trained but what of the mind? How does the mind let go -the myriad dreams and aspirations all of us chase? How does the spirit find solace and release from the sense of "why me?"
" ...1 went to another hospital for a stint of Ayurvedic treatment. The treatment there improved my condition a little, although nothing dramatic happened. But there I got enough time to think, to plan my future, to rearrange my priorities. It gave me enough time to prepare myself to face the world. Like every young person, I had had dreams about the future, about life, career, family, home kids, etc. There I got enough time to collect those broken pieces and put them back into some sort of a shape, even though the shape that came out was entirely different from the original one".

Today Alexis is a successful man. Rebuilding life by changing that the earlier blueprint, he started a company with his brother Mathew, four years ago. Today L&L Consultancy Service Pvt. Ltd., offers all kinds of software and internet consultancy services including website design and development. A prolific writer, Alexis has authored 32 books on computers: from programming, to Y2K, to e-business. He also launched his own publishing firm, Win Leon Publishing Pvt. Ltd., to bring out low-cost books on computer education.

"...I went back to work after spending nearly eight months in different hospitals. TCS gave me a lot of help to get settled in...an office on the ground floor, everything wheelchair accessible ..but after about 18 months I resigned because I was not able to go to work regularly. I developed pressure sores (due to continued sitting) and an increase in spasticity which made it impossible to makethe wheelchair transfers
" Often we spend so much energy banging on closed doors that we forget to feel and enjoy the breeze coming through the open window."

independently. So I started a consulting firm along with my brother. The advantage was that I could work from my home. It was during this time that I thought about writing. I started on my first book, without any idea on how to write a book".

Wanting to be close to his parents, Alexis has set up base in Kochi. He listens to classical music, likes watching TV and is planning his next book, which may be the autobiography he would like to title 'Reinventing the Wheel'. Regrets...some…on the lack of training for policeman which contributed in large measure to the extent of his injuries and the total absence of accessibility in public buildings which precludes any possibility of him visiting bookstores, restaurants or theatres. But life does go on... "…it is not that I don't get depressed. Occassionally I do…when I see people riding bikes, climbing stairs, doing things that I am unable to do, I feel sad. But the mind is more powerful than the body and there are no wounds that time cannot heal. Something that really helped me was an article which came in the Reader's Digest. It was titled 'Lessons my children taught me' by Chang Hsiao-Feng. She writes, "When God closes all doors, He opens a window. Often we spend so much energy banging on closed doors that we forget to feel and enjoy the breeze coming through the open window." Now I am learning to enjoy the breeze coming through the window."

Source: Success & Ability, Volume 7 No. 1
Issue: Dated Jan-Mar 2002