Naira – A Journey of Strength and Hope by Sagarika Madishetty.

Sharing Stories of Strength and Resilience

Personal journeys of grit and courage are always inspiring, and today, we are privileged to hear Sagarika Madishetty’s story—one that beautifully intertwines professional ambition with unwavering personal strength.

Sagarika, a proud OpenTexter, takes us through her journey of overcoming challenges, embracing new opportunities, and navigating the highs and lows of life with resilience. From her bold career moves to the incredible story of her daughter Naira’s miraculous fight for life, her story is a testament to perseverance, love, and determination.

Naira – A Journey of Strength and Hope by Sagarika Madishetty.

Professional life: My life has been nothing short of an adventurous roller coaster ride. Born and raised in a small town in India, I could never have imagined that one day I would board a flight and move abroad. As a child, my dream was simply to watch airplanes from afar—it felt like an unattainable wish at the time.

I’ve always been academically driven and excelled in my studies. I pursued Engineering and was honored with a gold medal for being ranked 6th across the entire province. Witnessing my parents’ tears of joy at my achievements during school and college remains one of my most cherished memories.

After completing my Engineering degree, I pursued a Master’s in Business Administration. Following that, I ventured into entrepreneurship by starting a business specializing in surveillance cameras and intrusion alarms in my hometown. However, my journey took a turn when my marriage was arranged, and I moved to a different city.

My husband had dreams of settling in North America, and upon his request, I made the bold decision to move to Canada as an international student a decade ago. It was a leap of faith—I arrived alone, knowing no one in the country, and faced numerous challenges. From setting up my home to finding a part-time job to sustain myself, navigating those initial lonely days was far from easy.

While pursuing my Master’s in Engineering at the University of Windsor, I secured a co-op opportunity with Blackberry—a highly competitive position that only 8 out of 650 students were selected for. I felt deeply grateful and proud to have been among them.

Even before graduating, I fulfilled my dream of securing a job offer. I started my career as a Project Manager at Verifone and later joined Maximus, a public sector organization. During my time with Maximus, I worked with Ontario Drug Benefits and successfully delivered their digitalization project, which remains one of the greatest accomplishments of my career.

I later transitioned to Factory Bucket, an AI-based manufacturing application developer, where I further honed my skills. Today, I am proud to serve as a Senior Project Manager at OpenText, continuing my journey of growth and learning.

Reflecting on my life, I see a story of resilience, determination, and adaptability. Each chapter has shaped me into the person I am today—someone who embraces challenges, values hard work, and takes pride in the journey as much as the achievements.

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Personal life: In my personal life, I have experienced some of the most extreme highs and lows imaginable. After a long wait to become parents, my husband and I were overjoyed to discover I was pregnant. At my 21-week scan, we learned we were having a baby girl, and we celebrated her gender reveal with immense excitement, already dreaming of the life we would build with her.

But life soon turned into a whirlwind of uncertainty. At just 23 weeks, I unexpectedly went into labor. During the contractions, the doctors advised us to consider terminating the pregnancy due to the unknown complications our daughter might face if she survived. However, my husband and I refused to give up on her. We had already fallen in love with our little girl and were determined to care for her no matter the challenges.

Our daughter Naira was born at only 23 weeks, weighing just over a pound (500 grams). She truly is a miracle. We spent seven months in the NICU at McMaster Hospital, facing countless challenges. For the first 4.5 months, she was on full ventilator support to breathe. Those days were filled with despair, guilt, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness. I constantly blamed myself, questioning why my body couldn’t carry her to term.

Being away from my family, who were in India, made the situation even harder. It was just me and my husband, navigating this storm together. I isolated myself from the world, speaking only to my parents and siblings because I didn’t have the courage to face society. During those seven months in the NICU, my daughter underwent multiple surgeries, and every day was a test of faith and endurance.

Then, finally, after months of prayers and unwavering hope, our miracle happened—our daughter began breathing on her own. She no longer needed ventilators or breathing support. On April 20, 2020, we brought her home for the first time. Although she still has minor health challenges, we are confident she will outgrow them. Today, at five years old, she is thriving and in Senior Kindergarten. No one would ever guess she was born premature. She’s a smart, social, and vibrant little girl who lights up every room she enters.

This journey has taught me that life itself is the most precious and challenging gift of all. Careers, money, and material possessions pale in comparison to the gift of life. My daughter has become my greatest source of inspiration. Watching her fight and thrive has given me strength I never knew I had.

Her journey motivated me to achieve new heights in my professional life. After her birth, I took on one of the most challenging government projects of my career and successfully delivered it. I also earned my PMP and Scrum certifications, further solidifying my professional profile.

If you are moved by my story, I ask for just one thing: please send your best wishes to my daughter and wish her all the happiness and success in her life. She is my miracle, my inspiration, and my reminder that with hope, resilience, and faith, anything is possible.