Years ago, footage emerged from a remote village in India. The video shows
a young girl receiving surgery to separate her fingers, which were badly
burned and fused together. Why did this operation make headlines around the
world? The surgery was performed by a 7-year-old boy named Akrit Jaswal.
Now 13 years old, Akrit has an IQ of 146 and is considered the smartest
person his age in India-a country of more than a billion people. Before
Akrit could even speak, his parents say they knew he was special.
"He learned very fast," says Raksha, Akrit's mother. "After learning the
alphabet, we started to teach him joining of words, and he started writing
as well. He was two."
At an age when most children are learning their ABCs, Akrit was reading
Shakespeare and assembling a library of medical textbooks. When he was 5
years old, he enrolled in school. One year later, Akrit was teaching
English and math classes.
Akrit developed a passion for science and anatomy at an early age. Doctors
at local hospitals took notice and started allowing him to observe
surgeries when he was 6 years old. Inspired by what he saw, Akrit read
everything he could on the topic. When an impoverished family heard about
his amazing abilities, they asked if he would operate on their daughter for
free. Her surgery was a success.
After the surgery, Akrit was hailed as a medical genius in India. Neighbors
and strangers flocked to him for advice and treatment. At age 11, Akrit was
admitted to Punjab University. He's the youngest student ever to attend an
Indian university. That same year, he was also invited to London's famed
Imperial College to exchange ideas with scientists on the cutting edge of
medical research.
Akrit says he has millions of medical ideas, but he's currently focused on
developing a cure for cancer. "I've developed a concept called oral gene
therapy on the basis of my research and my theories," he says. "I'm quite
dedicated towards working on this mechanism."
Growing up, Akrit says he used to see cancer patients lying on the side of
the road because they couldn't afford treatment or hospitals had no space
for them. Now, he wants to use his intellect to ease their suffering.
"[I've been] going to hospitals since the age of 6, so I have seen
firsthand people suffering from pain," he says. "I get very sad, and so
that's the main motive of my passion about medicine, my passion about
cancer."
Currently, Akrit is working toward a bachelor's degrees in zoology, botany
and chemistry. Someday, he hopes to continue his studies at Harvard
University.
1 comment:
Wow..that's Amazing!
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