A paraplegic man with polio who spent hours of his childhood in a hole in the ground in Mumbai, as his mother believed blood flow to his legs may cure the disease, and was “carried everywhere” until the age of 14, has said “you should never give up” as he defied the odds to become a professional wheelchair sportsman and father a child in his 50s. Jignesh (Jig) Vaidya, 52, who was born in Mumbai, India, but now lives in Leicester, contracted polio aged two as he was not “vaccinated at the right time” because his family could not afford it. This resulted in him being paralysed from the waist down, and he was hospitalised for at least six months at the age of four, with his legs in plaster to keep them straight. After this, Jignesh’s doctor said “there’s nothing we can do”, and since his family could not afford a wheelchair or further treatment, and his access to education was limited due to his disability, he remained at home for several years, with his mother Nirmala, now 83, “doing everything for him” – washing, feeding, changing and carrying him. Defying his difficult beginnings, Jignesh has spent his life moving across the world, becoming a professional wheelchair basketball player and enjoying a successful career, currently working as a project assistant at Maximus UK and broadcast assistant at the BBC, all before the birth of his now 20-month-old son, Jesse. He has not forgotten where his life began, however, and told PA Real Life: “As an Indian remedy, (my mother) dug a hole outside our house in the sun and put my whole body in it for six hours every day, neck down, in 30-degree heat. “She put really heavy bangles on both my legs and asked me to sit on the wall for three, four hours a day, dangling them, as she thought, ‘Jignesh will walk one day’.” Jignesh said his mother believed in Indian medication and thought the blood flow may help to cure his polio – a serious infection caused by a virus – but Jignesh described it as “hell”. From that point on, he thought, “this is going to be my life, this is it for me, it’s not going to get any better”. “I thought, ‘I’m going to be a loser – I hate to say that word – I’m not going to have any friends, and I’m going to be asking people for help all my life’,” he added. At the age of 14, Jignesh was given a wheelchair after his community rallied to raise some funds and he was finally able to go to school. He said he had to “catch up to the people who were ahead of (him)”, but he loved having some independence and no longer having to be carried by his family or others. He experienced a major setback when he moved to Dubai at 16, as he gave up his wheelchair to support another young boy with polio in Mumbai, and this left him in a dark place, mentally, as he had no “freedom”. Since then, however, he has moved to Leicester, received an “amazing education”, competed as a professional wheelchair basketball player, skydived, and fathered a son called Jesse, despite doctors saying this would not be possible. Jignesh said: “You should never give up in this life, and don’t be afraid to open up and ask for help. “Do what you’re best at and, if you work at something every day, whatever your goal is in life, you will get there. “It may take some time, maybe even years – it took me until the age of 20 to learn how to write my name in English – but I didn’t give up and look at me now.” From the age of 14, when Jignesh received his first wheelchair in Mumbai, he said he started to “flourish” and enjoyed going to school. However, he was subjected to discriminatory comments by his teachers, with one saying: “He’s handicapped, he can’t go at the front, put him in the back.” Since Jignesh’s late father Laxmikant, 66, was working in Dubai at the time, he ended up moving out there for two years at the age of 16 – but because his family could not afford to send him to school and he no longer had his wheelchair, he said he spent two years “looking out the window, watching people go by”. He said “there was nothing for (him)”, apart from a taxi ride once a month, and this significantly impacted his mental health, as he felt this had reversed all the progress he had made. “There was one point in my life, in those two years, where I was going to dark places and crying all the time,” he said. “I thought, ‘If mum’s not here, I could jump out the window and nobody will know. I can end it’, because I thought, ‘This is it, I can’t go back to what I had, I’m stuck’.” After his father earned enough money from those two years in Dubai, he and his family moved to the UK in 1988, when he was 18, and this is when everything changed. He received a new wheelchair in March 1989, aged 19, and started full-time education in September 1990, aged 20, where he learned English, maths, and how to use computers – and given he had impressive upper body strength and speed, he started playing sports as well, including wheelchair hockey and basketball. “I was a coloured person, a new arrival, couldn’t speak the language, and yet I was treated like everyone else,” he said. “I just thought, ‘Wow, I’m a part of society, I’m not being treated like a dog, like I was in Mumbai’, and if an opportunity comes in, I will take it, as there’s no going back. “When I started playing sports, I knew there and then that this is it, this is my life, this is my path.” Jignesh has since gone on to compete as a professional wheelchair basketball player internationally in places such as France, play for teams including MK Aces Wheelchair Basketball Club and Leicester Cobras, coach at the Coventry Crusaders club, skydive, and father Jesse with his partner Julie, 40, a teacher – confounding doctors. He goes to his local Nuffield Health gym every day, completing workouts and classes which have been adapted for him, and this helps to slow the progression of his polio as muscle weakness can increase over time. He “cherishes” being able to work with the “amazing” staff, including his personal trainer Matthew Molloy, in an inclusive environment where he is part of a team, supported, and everyone can “flourish”. Looking back, Jignesh realises why his mother, who he now cares for, would say, “everything happens for a reason”, and he is extremely grateful for his family’s love and support. He is excited to watch Jesse grow up, and he wants to continue encouraging disabled people to stay active, fight for their rights, and “never give up”. “I never thought that when I was in that hole, or when I was in Dubai and had nothing, that I’d be where I am today,” he said. “Sometimes, when I’m driving, I think, ‘This could be a movie; I’m going to wake up and be back in Mumbai’, so every day now, I pray and say, ‘Thank you’.” To find out more about Nuffield Health, visit: nuffieldhealth.com Read More Trypophobia: ‘Mushrooms, Beanie Babies and Doja Cat - I lived in fear for 30 years’ Lucozade addict drinks eight bottles a day and says it’s harder to quit than class-A drugs Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

TL;DR: A wide range free online courses from MIT are available to take on edX.

UPDATE: Jun. 2, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This story has been updated to include the

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Starbucks has just dropped its 2023 fall lineup with the added surprise of two brand new drinks alongside fan favourites like the iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte. According to the coffee chain, fans should be prepared to say goodbye to summer with a taste of fall on 24 August, when items new and old make their way to Starbucks locations. As companies all over begin to decorate their storefronts with autumn-themed merchandise, Starbucks prepares to celebrate not only one of its most lucrative seasons but also the 20th anniversary of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. The popular seasonal drink has over the past two decades become synonymous with fall itself. Some other beloved drinks joining the 2023 lineup include newer fan favourites like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew and the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato. Meanwhile, the new drinks on the block will include the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte, which was reportedly inspired by a popular barista and customer customisation. The new drink takes Starbucks’ classic chai up a notch with the added twist of the highly anticipated, seasonal pumpkin cream cold foam. Starbucks beverage developer Billy Altieri said in a press release: "The warm spice flavors of chai and pumpkin seamlessly blend together, creating a creamy and comforting iced beverage.” Meanwhile, another new addition will be the Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, following in the footsteps of its much warmer predecessor. Altieri described the new twist on the fan-favourite as “the warm, gooey taste of apple crisp paired with a cup of coffee meld perfectly to unveil a cosy beverage”. Starbucks Reserve locations around the United States will also be offering pumpkin spice beverages, including the Starbucks Reserve Pumpkin Spice Latte, Pumpkin Spice Whiskey Barrel-Aged Iced Latt, and Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini. There will also be new items from the Princi Bakery on the menu, such as the Pumpkin Maritozzo and Pumpkin Spice cake among others. At Starbucks Reserve and select Starbucks locations, there will also be two special whole bean coffees available for purchase: the Starbucks Reserve Vietnam Du Lat and Malawi Sable Farms. Some tried and true classics will also be on the menu at regular Starbucks shops to satisfy customers alongside the new fall flavours, notably pastries like the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin, Baked Apple Croissant, and Owl Cake Pop. Staple coffee beans like the Guatemala Casi Cielo, which the company has been using since 2004 when the Pumpkin Spice Latte was first launched, will also return. Fans took to Twitter to express their excitement, with one user writing that they had “been waiting for this all year,” and another wondering: “Why not keep fan favourites year-round? Imagine sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte in April! It’s more than just a drink; it’s an experience.” However, some were perplexed that the company was launching its lineup so early, writing: “it’s AUGUST bro.” But mostly, people were simply ecstatic that their favourite drinks were back: “Enjoying all the pumpkin spice and don’t care what anyone says!” Read More What is the UK’s cheapest meal deal? Waitrose has launched its first ever lunchtime meal deal 30-minute summer recipes for all the family to enjoy

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Doja Cat recently acknowledged the intense fan backlash to her fashion evolution in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. The Grammy winner has been contending with her fanbase for the past month, taking aim at some fans for naming themselves “Kittenz”, leading to a mass exodus of 250,000 followers on Instagram. However, the “Kiss Me More” singer is unfazed by the actions of certain circles of her fanbase, writing on her Instagram Story: “I feel free.” In the Harper’s Bazaar interview, conducted by rap-radio legend Angie Martinez, Doja Cat theorised that because a lot of fans believe they can “take ownership” over the artists they worship, the artists themselves are “not real to them.” She has decided to rebel against this dynamic, culminating in the mass unfollowing of half a million followers. Still, the unfollowing hasn’t put a dent in the rapper’s social media account, which still boasts over 25m followers, according to Social Blade. Despite her harsh words, she expressed gratitude for the fans who have “stood up for [her] or other people” amidst the backlash. Ever since she drastically changed her look by shaving her head and eyebrows, the “Vegas” rapper has been relentlessly attacked by online trolls. Doja Cat - whose real name is Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini - said that she “really appreciates” the fans who go out of their way to “speak up for someone who is getting bullied,” calling these “some of the most moving moments” she’s experienced as a mainstream artist. She also admitted that her change in style has been a whiplash for her fans, especially for those who feel a sense of “ownership” over her. “There is a shock response that is almost uncontrollable,” Doja Cat said. “I’ve accepted that that’s what happens. So I put my wigs on and take them off. I shave my head or my eyebrows. I have all the freedom in the world.” While Doja Cat noted that she’s in a “kind of chaotic place” when it comes to her sense of style and taste in fashion, she said that she views it as a part of the process of coming into her own. For her, it’s all a product of being in an era of self-discovery. “I’ve just been going into my closet and picking out the most random, weird, not-fitting thing to mix with another thing that does not really fit,” the pop star said. “It’s like mashed potatoes. But I’m embracing that. It’s a little punk. It’s experimental for sure. It’s very manic. But I am going in a darker direction when it comes to visuals and fashion. I have a lot of pent-up feelings and anger, and I want to express it with beauty. I’ve been playing with a lot of prosthetics lately.” Most recently, the pop star wore prosthetics to the 2023 Met Gala honuoring the late Karl Lagerfeld. Her makeup artists used prosthetics to realise her vision of looking like a “humanoid cat” as a nod to the late designer’s beloved feline, Choupette. Her Met Gala look was among many that have pushed boundaries, another being her head-to-toe red paint look, adorned with 30,000 crystals, for Schiaperelli’s haute couture show in Paris last January. Doja Cat also reflected on how her style experimentation has come at a time when she feels more grounded, as part of her overall journey of “learning to love” herself more. “I feel like a woman who is coming into her own,” she said. Read More Doja Cat says she feels ‘free’ since losing Instagram followers over fan controversy Doja Cat says fans feel like they have ‘ownership’ of her: ‘Subconsciously, I’m not real to them’ Doja Cat fans deactivate Twitter after singer hits out at ‘Kittenz’ fan name

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