A Pune AFMC topper who became paraplegic but did not stop: incredible story of Dr Harinder Dhaliwal, now a neurologist in Canada

Indian Express

a day ago

'When I look back at my journey—from the lecture halls of the AFMC in Pune to hospitals in Canada and in the US—what stands out most isn't just the academic rigour or clinical milestones, but the people and institutions who believed in me when it would have been easier not to. These institutions didn't just follow accessibility checklists—they extended human kindness. They allowed me to grow, to lead, to make mistakes, and to thrive,' says Harinder Dhaliwal, 48, speaking to The Indian Express from Canada, which has been his home for over 20 years.
He may have summed up his life in a couple of minutes, but the journey has been a long and arduous one—from disbelief at the cruel twist of fate that changed his life overnight to deep gratitude for where he finds himself today.
It was 1994 when Harinder Dhaliwal walked into the hallowed portals of the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in Pune with the distinction of having topped the entrance exam. In his final year, in 1998, while returning from visiting his father Col S S Dhaliwal, posted in the Siachen sector, the Army jeep he was travelling in met with an accident and Harinder suffered grave spinal cord injuries that left him paralysed from the waist downwards.
With almost a year spent in treatments, Harinder returned to the AFMC in a wheelchair to finish his medicine degree. However, when he graduated in 2000, it was without a commission and the MBBS degree. As per the rules, anyone not joining the defence forces after graduating from the AFMC would need to refund the fees. And Harinder, with his paraplegic status, was now unfit to join the forces. But he also did not have the requisite Rs 3 lakh, with his father already having spent double that amount on his treatment. It was here that the Ministry of Defence stepped in and waived his fees. His provisional certificate was changed to that of a certified doctor, helping him surmount the first obstacle after graduating and setting the tone for many others in store.
'After my spinal cord injury, there were moments of deep doubt—not just about walking again, but about whether I'd ever be able to practise medicine in the way I had once dreamed,' recounts Harinder, who also went to the US for further treatment. It became clear soon enough to him that he would have to be in a wheelchair forever.
But then his life took an unexpected turn. He met Kiran through a matrimonial site on which he had uploaded his details. After communicating for some time, he went to Canada to meet her in 2003. They married, and Harinder shifted to Canada in 2004. Kiran, born and brought up in Canada, was an IT professional and a quadriplegic.
'An accident when she was two years old had paralysed her face downwards. She cannot move her arms or legs but runs an IT company and is completely mobile on her power chair, travelling often for work,' says Harinder, his voice tinged with pride and emotion.
Harinder completed his residency at the University of Calgary after moving to Canada and pursued a neurology fellowship at Yale University in 2017, finally achieving super-specialisation in epilepsy. A few years ago, the couple moved to Surrey, British Columbia, where Harinder is now EEG & EMG Lab Director, Neurologist & Clinical Assistant Professor.
Anyone who felt a marriage where both partners are disabled would be a very difficult one had only to see Harinder and Kiran as they navigated their journey together.
'The system here is very disability-friendly. There are ramps everywhere —from buses to stations to trains. The government gives us two caregivers each. After I am helped to get ready in the morning, I leave for the hospital after breakfast and am then pretty much on my own, seeing patients in my clinic till evening. Kiran manages wonderfully—though she cannot type, she works with voice-activated devices and runs her entire company,' says Harinder.
Kiran's company, which specialises in business optimisation consultation, is called Ray of Light, after her name.
'My success isn't mine alone. It belongs to the mentors who opened doors, the programme directors who said 'let's find a way', the nurses and staff who never questioned why I was in a wheelchair, and the patients who trusted me as their neurologist. They all chose to see my ability before my disability,' says Harinder, remembering how his AFMC classmates would carry him up and down the stairs after his accident and later how his Canadian colleagues always met him with understanding and flexibility.
But Harinder's core team consists of his parents and wife. 'My parents moved to Canada to be there for me and lived next door, and my wife has been my constant through every challenge and triumph. Her strength, encouragement, and belief in me kept me grounded and moving forward, even on the hardest of days,' he says.
Harinder looks forward to working 10-15 more years and then retiring. 'I love India but will always stay and work in Canada and find ways to give back to this beautiful country that has given me so much,' he adds.