Poonam, battling brain tumor, helps Chhattisgarh win National-Basketball Championship semis
India's tallest female basketball player, Poonam Chaturvedi helped her team notch up a win in the semis of Senior National Basketball Championship. The 22-year-old, who has been a battling brain tumor for the past few years, scored 44 points for Chhattisgarh as they edged past the two-time national champions, Karnataka 79-78, to enter the final. Here's Poonam's inspiring story.
Poonam Chaturvedi, bio
Basketball playe,r Poonam Chaturvedi was born and brought up in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Interestingly, the 6'11'' tall player hadn't played a sport until high school and could barely run a few meters. Based on a suggestion of a family friend, she took up basketball in 2009 and moved to Chhattisgarh to train. She represents the Chhattisgarh state team and the Indian national team.
Brain tumor diagnosis
In early 2014, Poonam was diagnosed with a mild form of brain tumor which causes spells of excruciating headaches. Ever since, she is undergoing treatment and the seriousness of her illness has not stopped her from playing the game. "I have been undergoing Ayurvedic treatment apart from Japanese acupuncture magnet therapy. Now it's not all that bad," she says.
Chhattisgarh women's basketball team
While Poonam has been instrumental in Chhattisgarh's twin victories at the nationals in Delhi (2014) and Bhilwara (2014-15), the Chhattisgarh team in-itself is a powerhouse of performers, a team story that inspired Lara Datta to plan a movie based on it.
