Bharatkumar bio

My name is Bharatkumar  and I was born in Chennai, India. When I was 1 year old my family moved to London, UK., because of my father’s higher education at the University of London.

When I was 2 years old I started having seizures. I was admitted in the hospital for the seizures but diagnosed with Homocystinuria (classical) which was the reason for them, due to high levels of homocysteine in my blood. Since the diagnosis I have been on the special diet of counted exchanges of restricted natural food, supplemented with amino acid formula that didn’t contain Methionine and with low protein food products such as bread, etc. I have been on this diet ever since the diagnosis. Even though I’ve not liked the strong taste of my methionine free formula, I’ve always made sure I took it with every meal except when I was ill. It has helped me keep my Homocysteine levels in check. I was started on Cystadane or  Betaine Powder in 1988 in England and my Homocysteine levels came down with its addition.

In 1989, my father started a new job in Los Angeles and so our family moved with him to the United States of America. Dr. Richard Koch became my Geneticist at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and he was a huge influence on how to manage my health condition without having to feel that it was a huge burden. He influenced my parents as well, especially my mother who created the company Taste Connections because of me and because of the encouragement from Dr. Koch who wanted her to do “something” with her experience in cooking low protein products. Over the years, even though on the special diet, I’ve struggled with recurring seizures due to my body not responding to seizure medications the same way as a person without Homocystinuria. Managing the diet and HCU has been easier than managing the seizures.

Two people standing in front of a nasa sign.
A space shuttle is on display in a museum.

 

 

I have been able to get involved in various interests of mine including biology, history, space studies, etc. despite my health issues. After graduating high school, I started studying computer information systems, marine biology, history etc. classes at the local community college but     recurring seizures prevented me from continuing to finish my degree. But I’m continuing to pursue my interest in    animals, history, space studies and travel, and have created websites writing about these topics. Due to encouragement from my family and friends, I’m able to continue doing that.

I’ve listed my interests and job experiences here:

EXPERIENCES

  • California Science Center (2013 – present) 4100 hours so far
    • Guest services volunteer at Endeavour Space Shuttle Pavilion
    • Giving tours of Endeavour space shuttle to visitors; explaining different aspects of the shuttle missions.
Tom stafford signing autographs at the nasa convention.
  • Taste Connections (2010–2013)
    • Part- Time Office Associate
    • Accounting ( billing, accounts receivable)
    • Packaging and Shipping of food products
    • Assistant in food production
    • Customer Service
    • Order Processing
    • Data Entry
    • Assist at demonstrations on metabolic cooking
    • Currently helping at Taste Connections part-time since November, 2017.
  • Aquarium of the Pacific - volunteer (2006-2008)
  • Aquarium of the Pacific – Staff (2008-2010)
    • Guest services assistant
  • Los Angeles Zoo (2012-2016) - volunteer
    • Information Ambassador
    • Greet and Direct visitors
    • Provide information on animal exhibitions
    • Docent class
  • Rail Giants (railroad museum) – (2017- present) – volunteer
A steam locomotive is parked on the side of the street.
  • Planes of Fame (Aviation museum) – (2016 – present)
A man sitting in the cockpit of a plane.
  • San Diego Zoo (2009-Present)- volunteer
    • Information Ambassador- Greet and Direct visitors
    • Provide information on animal exhibitions
  • San Diego Wild Animal Park (2009-Present)
    • Information Ambassador- Volunteer
    • Greet and direct visitors
    • Provide information on animal exhibitions

Extracurricular Activities     

  • Created and maintaining websites : historytravel-us.com; www.endangeredandrareanimals.net; www.hcusupport.com
  • Visiting historical sites with learning focus for example, Sites of all 42 Presidents (within the U.S.), American revolutionary war sites, Civil War and Civil rights Sites and monuments and writing about them on the website.
  • Visiting sites related to Space history eg: Kennedy Space center, NASA centers around the country, visiting museums that display all the space capsules, etc. and sharing the experiences on meeting astronauts and writing about them on the website.
  • Visiting railroad museums and writing about them on the website
  • Visiting zoos and wildlife safari parks in the United States.
  • Visited various zoos and safari parks in Australia.
  • Speaker at Homocystinuria Conference in Denver, Colorado ( hcusupport.com )

Hobbies

  • Reading books to enhance knowledge
  • Watching movies especially documentaries

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