Breaking a single bone can leave most of us incapacitated for week sometimes even months. Imagine what having 300 fractures would do to your body and your spirit? 27 year old Dhanya Ravi suffers from ‘brittle bones disease‘ called Osteogenesis Imperfecta and has broken her bones over 300 times. A simple act of standing up could give her a fracture and excruciating pain. But this brave girl has braved her debilitating disease to emerge as a social media crusader, helping others and serving society in her own way.
Nicknamed ‘Glass Woman’ Dhanya has been suffering with this disease since birth. She has not had a normal childhood and envied her friends who could run and play. But she never let this dampen her enthusiasm for life. She was homeschooled by a kind teacher who taught her that one should try and help others under all circumstances. Dhanya found her calling when she realized that she could use the internet to raise awareness about issues. She raised money online for another child, Binu, suffering from the same disease as her and helped him have surgery. This experience, of being able to connect those who could help with those in need helped Dhanya identify what she wanted to do in her life.
She joined hands with an NGO to raise awareness about the brittle bones disease. Despite being confined to a wheelchair and the danger of injuries, Dhanya’s spirit allows her to risk travel. She has participated in many reality TV shows and uses the digital medium to spread the message. She also works as a freelance content writer, digital marketer, and columnist for both online and offline media.
For her efforts, Dhanya was conferred the National Award 2018 in the Role Model category by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities India. She was also honored with the ‘Brave Bangle Award 2012’ and ‘Annual Inspired Indian Foundation (IIF) Award 2014’ for devoting her heart and soul towards alleviating the pain of people with disability.
