Two years ago, Shabnam Gupta could barely stand. less than two weeks from now she will run a marathon. the bhandup resident shares what it takes to survive one of life's worst living nightmares <table style="width: 129px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="129" align="right" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/jan/3marathon.jpg" border="0" /></td></tr> <tr> <td> The world is once again a happy place for Shabnam Gupta, who will be part of the Dream Run at the 2011 Mumbai marathon. PIC/ SAMEER MARKANDE</td></tr></tbody></table>Everyone has a story. And Shabnam Gupta's is one about the indomitable human spirit. It's also one about the fragility of life; how a nasty twist of fate can change a person's destiny in a matter of seconds. On May 18, 2008, Shabnam, her husband, and a bunch of friends were returning home from Goa when tragedy struck. "I still don't know exactly what happened," says Shabnam, the anguish in her voice almost palpable. A horrific road accident left Shabnam lying unconscious in a hospital for a fortnight, with 32 fractures. "Two years ago, I couldn't even stand. Every day was a struggle," says the 31-year-old, who will participate in the Dream Run as part of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on January 16, 2011. "I watched Milind Soman run the half marathon and felt that he was running for me; that he was motivating me to run beside him." This year, Shabnam will run for herself. "At times, you have to prove things to yourself." But Shabnam won't be running just for herself. She will join the hundreds rising early on a nippy Sunday morning to run city streets, as she races to raise funds for the MNB Industrial Home for the Blind, an organisation that provides vocational training and subsidised hostel facilities for the visually challenged. "If I can help support lives, and make others stand on their feet like I didu00a0-- quite literallyu00a0-- then that would mean a lot to me," she says. The journey to get Shabnam on her feet, however, wasn't an easy one. "When I was bed-ridden it was natural to ask questions like 'Why me?'. It was the life lessons I learnt through an organised Buddhist movement that kept me going." Shabnam found recourse in chanting, and support in her husband and family. "When you are physically broken, mental healing takes longer. It's hard to realise this when you are fit," she shares. The Bhandup society where Shabnam stays, sees her up at dawn walking or jogging around the garden. "Mystic law tells us that we are part of the cosmos and every action has an equal reaction. While I don't know what I could have done to deserve this, I've stopped asking. I just want to live my life fully now."

Two years ago, shabnam gupta could barely stand. less than two weeks from now she will run a marathon. the bhandup resident shares what it takes to survive one of life's worst living nightmares

What it takes to walk again

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What it takes to walk again

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