WASHINGTON (WUSA9) — Millions suffer from epilepsy. You never know when a seizure is going to hit. Rajlakshimi Borthakur mother knows all too well the pain of watching and waiting.That is why she felt like she needed to do something about it.
"That was extremely traumatic for me because going to the hospital – going to the ICU was very difficult for me," said Borthakur, "Going there again and again was really frightening."
Borthakur lives in Bangalore, India with her husband and two kids. Her son Tejus has had epilepsy from the second day of his birth. Borthakur explained that it was not diagnosed properly. It started with tiny jerks and escalated over time to 45 minutes to an hour long episodes. Tejus needed to get to the hospital between 20 to 40 minutes or he could die.
"His brain took such a beating that he's not able to speak or walk properly," said Borthakur. "I was looking for some kind of an answer."
Without ever studying science or having an engineering degree — Raji created her startup called TerraBlue XT. Her first innovation is called TJay, named after her son Tejus.
"We build wearable devices for the prediction, detection, and management of different diseases and disorders."
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It is a wearable technology that helps detect and manage epileptic seizures. Basically, it is a Glove with sensors that send information to your smartphone.
Xaant is the second product developed by TerraBlue XT. It is also wearable technology that uses sensors to give data to doctors about the health of a patient in real time. Xaant is designed to help doctors and patients better understand mental illness.
TerraBlue XT has raised $2 million USD in investments to bring the product to market, with the long-term goal of aiding patients who suffer from severe mental illness or PTSD.
"Our goal is to provide protection before it even happens so that all life is not lost," expressed Borthakur.
TerraBlue XT has been recognized by the Government of India for its innovation and Tjay has won several awards, including the Innovate for Digital India Challenge. Borthakur has also been recognized by the United Nations and Government of India as one of 12 women transforming India.
Borthakur and her startup TerraBlue XT was one of a select group of entrepreneurs to complete the PeaceTech Accelerator at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Borthakur completed the eight-week program in Washington, Dc. and she pitched Xaant to potential investors, government leaders in entrepreneurship and companies like Amazon Web Services.
