Obituary: Disabilities blogger for The Detroit News dies

From The Detroit News:

Neeru Sharma (pictured) spent a lifetime in a wheelchair. While some might have looked at it as a limitation, Ms. Sharma saw her life in different terms.

Sharma, a disabilities blogger for The Detroit News, lived her life with zest and endless purpose, said her family.

Ms. Sharma of Sterling Heights died Jan. 18 in Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. She was 38. She suffered a massive heart attack Saturday while having dinner with friends. As a result, she was put on a ventilator to breathe. Ms. Sharma did not recover and was disconnected from the ventilator Jan. 18, her brother Naveen Sharma said.

Vimal Sharma, said her daughter was a loving, giving and compassionate person whom she "learned a lot from."

"She never walked. Despite all her odds she never had self-pity," she added. "She said you have to march on."

Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, which causes fragile bones, Ms. Sharma wrote regular blog items for The Detroit News about living with physical and other disabilities for the past 1 1/2 years.

Born in Amritsar, India, Ms. Sharma was raised in Troy. She attended Kimball High School in Royal Oak and went on to General Motors Institute, where she received a bachelor of science degree. She later obtained a master's degree from Oakland University.

Ms. Sharma worked as a long-term forecast analyst for General Motors' market and industry analysis division. Naveen Sharma said his sister was proud of her News blog and the work she did as an activist for people with physical and other disabilities.

"She tried to get (information) about disability awareness out," said Sharma. "She was a very independent person. She went to Europe, Denmark ... she traveled like crazy. She had millions of friends."

Visitation for Ms. Sharma is 3-8 p.m. Tuesday at E.J. Mandziuk & Son Funeral Home, 3801 18 Mile in Sterling Heights. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. The family will host a religious ceremony and dinner Thursday evening at their home.

Ms. Sharma is survived by her parents, Gurdev and Vimal Sharma; her brother, Naveen, and his wife, Pooja; and her dog Pinto.

Memorial tributes can be made to the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation. The family plans to establish a scholarship in Ms. Sharma's honor in the near future.