Shreya Siddanagowder, a young woman whose indomitable spirit has become a beacon of hope, came today to Amritapuri—not just with a smile, but with new hands to thank Amma.
What made this moment truly remarkable was the simple gesture of her shaking hands with others. They weren’t her original hands, but those of a man who died in a motorbike accident—donated and transplanted after a tragic loss.
In 2016, at the age of 19, Shreya lost both arms in a devastating bus accident in Pune. But her story didn’t stop there.
A year later, in 2017, she underwent Asia’s first-ever double upper-arm transplant at Amrita Hospital, Kochi. Thanks to a team of dedicated doctors, the miracle of modern medicine gave her a new beginning.
After three years, her recovery continued to amaze both Shreya and her medical team. The transplanted hands transitioned in colour to match her skin tone. The change has inspired doctors to conduct further research to understand this phenomenon.
Today, Shreya holds an engineering degree and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata. She has recently joined TCS as a software professional and is setting out to build a dynamic career.
When she came to Amma for darshan, Amma embraced her, inquired about her well-being, and lovingly tied a bracelet on her new wrist—a gesture of divine blessing and grace.
When asked how she managed to stay strong through such an intense journey, Shreya simply said, “I wanted to finish my studies. That was the goal—first engineering, then MBA. Once I achieved one, I created another. That kept me going.”
It was clear that her clarity of purpose, faith, and inner strength gave her the resilience to undergo such a long and challenging medical and personal recovery.
Shreya is living proof that if one has titiksha—endurance in the face of suffering—life can still bloom with possibilities. With Amma’s blessings and her unshakable determination, Shreya is sure to scale greater heights ahead.
