Every night, for the last eight months, 5-year-old Vihaan has meticulously crossed out days on a calendar. He is waiting to be reunited with his mother.
Vihaan has autism, and that made the decision to join the Royal Australian Air Force all the more difficult for Meenakshi Khurana. The excruciating wait is almost over now. Meenakshi is just weeks from completing her training before she is posted at Newcastle where her son and husband will be able to join her.
Every step of the journey has been quite challenging for Meenakshi and her family.
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Having never been to a gym or undertaken sporting activity before, Meenakshi struggled to meet the required fitness level to begin the training with RAAF. She was given six-week-time to lift her game. During this time, she worked very hard on her fitness and stamina and was able to pass the physical test.
She completed her initial four-month training with RAAF in Wagga Wagga, that primarily included the general physical training.
Much that it was physically difficult, the phase was equally challenging mentally and emotionally.
Source: Supplied
Source: Supplied
During the first three months, she could barely see her husband and young son thrice. Even access to phone was limited to just 30 minutes in a day.
“It has been a very difficult period for us as a family”, says Rohit, Meenakshi’s husband.
“She would tell me we made a wrong decision and she wanted to leave the training and come back.”
Though managing his time between his job and taking care of their son alone was never easy, Rohit became the pillar of strength for his wife.
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“She once said it was impossible for her to complete the training, but I believed in her and encouraged her to stay put and not worry about the family back home.”
She is now undergoing training to join the accounts branch of the force.
Rohit now recalls how Meenakshi had to take up a baggage screening job at Avalon Airport after she finished her accounts degree from the Central Queensland University, as she failed to find accounts work.
Meenakshi, Rhoit and their son. Source: Supplied
He is proud of Meenakshi’s achievement and wishes to follow in her footsteps to join the Air Force one day.
