When Selvan Mohan came to Canada for university, he said it was to chase his dream of helping others as much as possible.
Now the Carleton graduate student is asking for help from the public as he hopes to continue his goal.
Mohan, 24, was born without a right tibia, kneecap, and ankle, which resulted in him using a prosthetic leg after doctors amputated his leg at the age of 12 in his home country of Malaysia.
With the general life span of a prosthetic being five to six years, according to Mohan, he’s now asking the public to help him raise money for the expenses it will cost to get him a new one.
He and some friends launched an initiative to accept online donations on YouCaring.com, a web-based crowdfunding website.
“I have really good friends,” he said. “It means so much—how much they care about me, how much they really value me to do what I want to do . . . I really have no words to thank everyone.”
Cindy Leung, one of the friends who discussed fundraising ideas with Mohan, said she became best friends with him when they met in first year.
“He’s definitely someone who supports others, so it would be great to see people support him,” Leung said. “I know when he puts his mind to something, he’ll get it done.”
Mohan said the replacement prosthetic costs around $22,000 and his international student insurance will cover $10,000.
He said his target for the crowdfunding initiative is to raise an additional $11,660 by the end of 2014 to help cover the remaining costs of his new assistive device.
His campaign has raised $4,510 as of Sept. 3, according to the YouCaring website.
Mohan said, because he isn’t a Canadian citizen, he’s not eligible for certain programs that may cover all of his necessary expenses.
“Being a student and paying international student fees, that’s almost impossible,” he said.
Mohan is a frequent contributor in the Carleton community, including working with the Paul Menton Centre, which he said leads to wearing down his prosthetic far more than average.
He said getting a replacement would allow him to maintain his active lifestyle, and as a result, more community work.
“I’m limited right now in what I can do,” he said. “I have to refrain from running because it isn’t really safe. That’s something I’m not doing right now, but I’ll get into it as soon as I get my leg.”
Mohan is working to finish his PhD at Carleton in chemistry, specifically in nanobiotechnology, which involves working with nanoparticles and synthetic DNA.
He said his long-term plan is to work toward solving world crises on food, fertilizers, and environmental pollutants—which explains his research project with Environment Canada.
“We’re working on nanoparticles that are polluting the environment,” he said. “We’re going to see effects of those particles, creating a better future for everyone.”
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