I have a rare autoimmune disease and spent 12 years unable to walk.
At my lowest, I weighed just five stone, lost all muscle mass and became so ill that I had to drop out of school.
I was told this would always be my life. But I couldn’t accept that.
I started getting out of my wheelchair and holding on to the wall for 30 seconds, then sitting down again to rebuild my strength.
My mum bought me a miniature poodle, and he gave me the confidence to start taking a few steps outside and to go a little further each time.
Ten steps to the end of the driveway turned into walks around the block, and eventually into a career as a dog trainer.
Since then, I’ve competed in dog agility at a national level, hiked in the Lake District and travelled solo across the world – from Yosemite National Park to New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef.
Movement has been the thread that runs through it all.
These days, I try to exercise every day. I walk six or seven miles, sometimes with my dog, sometimes just by myself.
I go to the gym for resistance training, Pilates, yoga and swimming, and I love being outdoors – hiking and even trying golf.
After over 30 surgeries, including a spinal cord implant, I still face flare-ups and chronic pain. But exercise keeps me going.
It strengthens my body, clears my head and helps me cope with whatever comes next.
It's never easy. Living with constant pain, dealing with the symptoms of a rare disease, and walking into a gym where you don’t often see other South Asian women.
Sometimes people say, “You shouldn’t be doing that,” while others have been more supportive.
But I’ve learned to drown out any negative voices and listen to my own body instead.
What I’d say to other women is this: don’t wait for perfect circumstances – and remember, you’re stronger than you think.
Start small, take baby steps and do what you can.
Celebrate the small wins.
Movement has been a lifeline – reminding me that I’m capable of more than I ever imagined.