“I want my story to be one of strength and perseverance. I want to make people smile when they think about me. And that’s a wonderful thing to leave behind.” – Akhil Jhaveri
“This is the shadow of death, not death itself. It’s really neat when you realize you’re just in the shadow. When the sun comes out, the shadow disappears. So I just wait.” -Akhil Jhaveri (Steven Lane/The Columbian)
Caretaker Russell Warner stretches Akhil Jhaveri’s feet at Jhaveri’s Ridgefield home on May 28. Jhaveri was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in July 2011 and has lost the ability to move his limbs and has difficulty speaking and breathing. (Steven Lane/The Columbian)
Caretaker Russell Warner assists Akhil Jhaveri from bed and into his wheelchair at Jhaveri’s Ridgefield home on May 28. (Steven Lane/The Columbian)
“I really cannot move, so I feel like I’m a prisoner in my own thoughts,” -Akhil Jhaveri (Steven Lane/The Columbian)
Laura Jhaveri, left, assists her husband, Akhil Jhaveri, center, with daughter Ashley Jhaveri, at Kennedy Violins on April 17, for their youngest daughter’s violin performance. (Steven Lane/The Columbian)
“You should make people happier to have known you than before they met you. That should be your goal.” -Akhil Jhaveri (Ariane Kunze/The Columbian)
Akhil Jhaveri was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, in July 2011, and while he lost the ability to move his limbs and now has a feeding tube, he is trying to embrace the time he has left with his loved ones. The full story can be viewed here.