Man Who Lost Leg in Accident Accomplishes Dream of Running a 5K

Doctor
Loma Linda University Hospital

Darshit Thakrar was able to complete his three-mile 5K in about 55 minutes. With his two children, ages 9 and 5, by his side, he proudly finished the virtual race, People reported.

A California man completed his dream of running a 5K, despite having lost his leg years ago in an accident, People reported

Darshit Thakrar, 41, a radiologist at Loma Linda University Hospital, proved he has the will of a superhero following an accident in 2015 that saw him lose his left leg. Thakrar was in the middle of training for a marathon when he was struck by an oncoming car as he stood on the side of the road fixing a flat tire his car had.

“I realized, okay, I had been through a trauma, which I had no recollection of, and I’m just waking up in the ICU,” he told "People (the TV Show!)" of the time. “And at that time they said, ‘Well, you were in an accident and you’re waking up in a hospital. And in the meantime, you lost your leg.’”

“Of course my initial reaction was complete denial of the situation,” he added. “I didn’t want to accept that at that point. In my conscious mind, I’m like, ‘No, this can’t be true.’”

In May, five years after his accident, Thakrar finished a 5K, his longest race to date. With his two children, ages 9 and 5, by his side, Thakrar complete his virtual 5K, which is 3.1 miles, in about 55 minutes, People reported.

“That was an emotional moment,” he said. “I was really happy, extremely happy to fulfill that goal. I don’t think you can express that in words. It was a very fulfilling moment.”

Through his journey of recovery with a prosthetic leg, Thakrar says he was able to focus on the positive aspects of his life and push himself to achieve his goals.

“I thought, ‘What if I had lost both legs? Or what if I had hurt my spinal cord and I was going to be in the wheelchair for the rest of my life?’” he recalled. “And suddenly the glass was not half empty, it was more than half full.”

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