Mumbai Man Born With Clubfoot Cycles Four Countries and Trekks Himalayas
In short
- Shijoy Jacob, 38, was born in Mumbai with clubfoot and had surgery on both legs as a child.
- In 2026 he cycled from Cambodia into Vietnam with three friends, without a support vehicle.
- He has also cycled through India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, and trekked to 15,000 feet in the Himalayas.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
Shijoy's childhood treatment included surgeries and corrective boots until about age eight. His mother's repeated hospital trips and her decision to leave work to care for him made that recovery possible. His journeys show what that early care made room for.
From The Better India
Whenever Shijoy Jacob leaves home for a cycling expedition, his mother, Pushpa, worries about his return. “I feel scared when he goes,” she says. “I don’t even want to sleep until he comes back.” She remembers a time when her son struggled to walk. Today, she watches him set off on journeys that take him hundreds of kilometres away from home, sometimes across international borders. In 2026, Shijoy, 38, was pedalling from Cambodia into Vietnam with three friends. There was no support vehicle following them. They carried their own luggage, repaired their own punctures and sometimes cycled...
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For kids
Shijoy was born with feet that turned inward. His mother took him to many doctors, and he had surgeries and wore special shoes as he learned to walk. Today he rides his bike across countries and climbs high mountains with his friends. What do you think helped him keep going when things felt hard?
