#SEENAmericanDream

When I was 14, I would travel to New York City by myself and stay with family and shop in the wholesale market.

How did you learn about business while you were still in high school? While I was in high school, I helped a family friend do wholesale trade shows. I enjoyed it and decided to start doing my own trade shows wholesaling fashion watches and jewelry. I had over 20 stores that I sold to. At 16 years old, I felt like I had the start of something great. I loved what I did and the people I met doing it. It wasn't work to me

Were your parents supportive? They were very supportive, but they wanted me to focus on college, not business. I was the first generation in America and school was important to them. So while studying business and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, I used to sell gold jewelry at flea markets on the weekends and still worked at my parents’ store during the week.

At what point did you decide to branch out on your own? At the age of 21, I proved to my dad that I was serious. I borrowed $10,000 from my dad to open my jewelry store on Greentree Road. At that time, my dad’s business was suffering. My dad sold his truck so that I could open my store. My parents always believed in me and encouraged me to have strong ethics. They taught me always to be honest and treat people the way you wanted to be treated. I was on top of the world, had a beautiful girlfriend and with the help of my family, I had a budding business.

What happened? In 1993, the day after my 22nd birthday, about 10 months after opening my store, I wasn't feeling well. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with an inoperable cancerous pineal blastoma brain tumor the size of a lemon. It didn't look too good. I started intensive radiation treatments and within six weeks, I dropped to 106 pounds. My whole life changed at that moment. By the faith of God, I went back to India on my last day of radiation. My parents didn't know if they would see me again. I began to pray and eat healthy every day, fresh fruits and vegetables. It was all about being positive. I was diagnosed as disabled while I was there and wasn’t allowed to go to school or work. I didn’t have any health insurance, I couldn’t afford it. I wouldn't be here today without faith in God and strong family and friend support and a positive outlook.

What did your parents do? They were financially broke, but they did everything they could to help me pay my medical bills and afford my medication. They sold everything of value and my mother even sold her wedding jewelry, diamond earrings. Then in 1996, I lost my dad to a massive heart attack at the age of 52. We had no money to pay for his funeral. I was 25 years old and still dealing with my brain tumor, but my mother never doubted me. We would work together building my wholesale business. She would stay in the shop and do whatever she needed to help me keep the shop afloat.

When did things start to turn around? I opened a tiny store in the Clark Building in 1998 and was able to open a bigger store there two years later. In 1999, I married and in 2000, I was blessed with a baby boy, which was very special because in 1993 while going through radiation, I was told I may not be able to ever have kids. Around that same time, I was able to track down the family that bought my mother’s wedding jewelry and was able to buy it back for her. That was a very proud moment. I wanted to show her how much her support meant to me, and give her back what she had sacrificed for me. Now it's 2016. Even though I divorced in 2008, I've been blessed with good health (the cancer is in remission). and two handsome boys while building a business that I enjoy. I would not change what happened to me because it has made me the person I am today. The only thing I would change is to have my dad back, even if it was for one day. I want to tell him how much I love him and miss him.

What does the American dream mean to you? My parents saw America as a place where it doesn’t matter what your background, religion, race or gender are. Even though it doesn’t seem like that now, America is a chance for a better life. I’m proof of that.