Esperanca Almeida
PANAJI
Esperanca Almeida was awarded a special trophy for coming out to participate in sports for the first time. And she bagged second place in Goa Para Table Tennis Championship 2025. This was huge for her, and she experienced the joy of winning and being appreciated for her skills. As she puts it, “Life has not been easy for me, but every challenge has only made me stronger.”
Esperanca’s challenge began when she was less than a year old. Her parents narrated the incident of her getting burnt by hot ash. “My parents run a liquor bhatti. They told me that I got accidentally burnt when I was just nine-months-old. I accidently put my hands in the hot ash in the liquor bhatti. Both my hands were burnt slightly. My parents took me to the hospital and the doctor admitted me. There, one of the nurses began to cut my burnt skin, and in the process my small veins and nerves got cut. My little finger was also cut off without my parent’s permission. Due to lack of a composed palm, my wrist got bent and there was lack of growth in my left hand, which remained short and the remaining four fingers became crooked. It was not looking like a hand. From 9 months of age to 5 years, there were five surgeries done on my hand but all in vain. In those days there was not much awareness about plastic surgery,” explains Esperanca.
Esperanca’s parents decided not to do any operation on the hand in Goa. “When I was eight I spoke to my parents about the surgery. Through a relative, we approached a surgeon from a private hospital in Mumbai. The doctor told that the surgery would cost around Rs 40 lakh, which we could not afford. He suggested we visit KEM Hospital. We went there. The doctors tried to straighten my wrist and bent fingers. They tried to make it look like a hand,” recalls Esperanca who now uses her left hand 40 per cent for computer typing, crochet, etc.
However schooling was a challenge, as little Esperanca could not hold anything in her left hand. Holding a school bag was a struggle and she managed to do it with great difficulty. Children teased her seeing her crooked hand. Doing everything with one hand was a challenge for the little girl, but she somehow continued through primary, secondary and higher secondary education. She stopped after her 12th, and decided to do some job and earn to support the family. “I had two brothers, and three sisters, two of them twins. But who would give a job to a person with only one working hand? Then marriage happened. But that too failed,” she shares.
Esperanca narrates, “My struggles began when my husband and I were asked to leave our home. With a small baby girl in my arms, we had no choice but to move into a rented house. However, my husband’s earnings were not enough to cover our rent and daily expenses. My parents and brother offered us shelter, but my husband refused to stay with my family and instead went to live with his sister. From that moment, I became a single parent, fully dependent on my father.”
When her daughter started going to first standard, Esperanca knew she had to find a job. “My career started at Hotel Oberoi at Bogmalo in the laundry department for six years. Later I tried working at an industry in Verna, but was dismissed due to my disability. Despite these setbacks, I refused to give up,” asserts Esperanca who took a daily wage job on a temporary basis for six months at the Indian Navy. Around that time, there were vacancies for USL positions. She applied, got selected, and joined the Indian Navy. Today, she works as a storekeeper in the Navy, and faces no difficulties at her workplace. Through all her struggles, she remained determined. “My family has always supported me in difficult times, and I am forever grateful for their help. I have a few close friends – two from my school days and one at my workplace – who have also been part of my journey,” she quips.
Teachers played a crucial role in shaping Esperanca’s life and she takes pride to admit that, “At St Andrew’s School, Nandani teacher and Shashank sir guided me, while our headmaster, Oscar Gonsalves was my biggest support during my secondary school years. His dedication and hard work inspired me, and because of his encouragement, I am where I am today. People should always encourage and support those with disabilities. We may face extra challenges, but with determination and the right support, we can achieve anything. This is my story – a journey of resilience, struggle, and success,” concludes this 51-year-old single mother whose daughter works for a Dubai-based five-star hotel and who recently sponsored her pleasure trip to Dubai and both enjoyed a dinner at Burj Khalifa.
