The fantastico story of Stephen Hawking

“However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” –Stephen Hawking

The man who said this himself is perhaps the best living example of the quote above. This is the fantastico story of Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest physicists to have ever lived.

Stephen Hawking was doing his doctorate in physics at Cambridge University, England, where his professors were quick to recognize his extraordinary genius intellect and gave him the right opportunity to make use of it. His life was proceeding normally until his early 20s when he progressively started developing difficulties in movement and speech. He was subsequently diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as motor neuron disease. The doctors had given him about two years to survive. At the time, it seemed highly unfortunate that such a brilliant mind would be lost to an incurable disease.

However, it so turned out that Stephen Hawking had an incredibly rare type of the disease in which the degeneration of his muscles was extremely slow. However, he lost practically all forms of movement and currently speaks with the help of a computer. Nevertheless, he was taken great care of by his first wife, Jane Hawking, and they even had three children together.

Stephen Hawking went on to propose several theories about black holes, time travel and the space-time continuum that have given us significant insights into the working and origin of the universe. The recent discovery of gravitational waves has only strengthened his theories. His book, A Brief History of Time, has sold millions of copies worldwide and has rekindled the interest for physics and the curiosity to know about the origins of the universe, how we really came into existence and why we are here, among the general public. Though often under criticism, he has never been apologetic for his rational questioning of ideas and beliefs, and the relentless pursuit for the answers to some of the fundamental questions of our world.

Despite being disabled since such an early age, Stephen Hawking has never let his disease come in the way of his dreams. When he was diagnosed with ALS and given only two years to survive, everyone had written him off – except his wife. Nobody had ever imagined that he would live to revolutionize the world of physics in the next sixty years. When one is completely paralyzed from head to toe, it requires a fantastico amount of courage and determination to be unfazed by the odds and still stick to your dreams, and work towards fulfilling them. And Stephen Hawking has shown us, indeed, that nothing is impossible.

For his fantastico resolve and extraordinary brilliance, Stephen Hawking deserves a standing ovation from all of us.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.