1
It was in the midst of all the covid chaos that Amma had a relapse of myeloma and got admitted. Her condition kept getting worse, it was certain that a count down timer had started to tick, and I was stuck in the UK unable to travel.
And then Dr Roja would keep saying, “Don’t worry, we’ll keep her safe for you”. She kept updating me all the time. Finally I managed to catch a flight to India, but then there was this wearying layover at Bengaluru airport. Amma had already been shifted to the ICU. Had Dr Roja not given me a video call at that time to show Amma, whose eyes brightened seeing me on the phone, I would have collapsed out of stress.
I had never met Dr Roja prior to all this, but she took care of my Amma and was a real guardian angel. I am sure there won’t be many who can be as modest as her.
2
Amma is now in the ICU in a sinking stage, we still have no idea about the infection that is killing her. It should be around 11pm, I stand in the corridor with a heavy heart, clueless. My brain is too befuddled to make any more decisions. And then this angel walks in. Dr Govind took the helm from that moment onwards. I can’t explain how relieved I felt from that moment onwards. I didn’t have to worry about the medical part anymore.
There comes this moment, the wee hours of the 25th of May, when I collapse on to a chair in the ICU, Amma is lying on the bed, she is no more. Govind gives me a call, “Just take Amma home. I will deal with all the hospital procedures, don’t worry about running behind the bills or anything at all”.
Govind is a rare blend of knowledge, diligence, compassion and emotional intelligence. Ah, well, he carries the genes of Gangadharan sir and Chithra ma’am and hence it is hardly a surprise :)
3
Anything I write about Dr Anupama would be an understatement. To me, she is an avatar of God. While Dr Gangadharan gave my Amma, an otherwise 'poor prognosis advanced multiple myeloma patient', a new lease of life ten years back, it was Anupama ma’am who watched out for her all these years. It was the faith I had in her that gave me the courage to move to the UK, for I was sure, Anupama ma’am would always take the best medical decisions for Amma. It would take a whole book if I keep on writing about ma’am.
4
Remember Jai & Veeru from Sholay? That’s what Gayathri and I transformed into during the final hours of Amma. It would have been impossible for me to deal with the situation if she wasn’t there. Amma had crashed, and I was juggling between being a doctor and a son. Well, I’m still not bold enough to type in all those harrowing moments here, for it has been the most traumatic experiences I have ever had in my life.
5
Lakeshore, has been my second home for ages. It is the one place that always makes me feel special. The security guard who didn’t even let me pay for valet parking, the attender chechi or brother who would always enthusiastically usher my amma & achan even when I’m not around, my colleagues who rushed to blood bank in the wink of an eye...the place is full of people who keep showering love on me.
Nahas used to run hither and thither managing Amma’s OP visits in my absence, well I once even turned green with envy when Achan ‘wrongly’ rang me and told, “Oh, I thought I dialled Nahas, we reached Lakeshore just now” (I was in Liverpool at that time). My family in the department of anaesthesia that include Radhika (kili), Anupriya (missworld) and Elizabeth (chungy) used to make sure that my parents never felt my absence during their follow-up visits. Even to this day, when I can’t hold my tears, I just take my phone and ring Jaya ma’am or Mallie ma’am. Naveena turns out to be the sister I never had. Though notorious for forgetting names, my Achan still asks about Naveena. She was a huge support for my parents during the recent hospital admission. Nita ma'am & Tina ma'am used to fill me with confidence and they gave me the strength to take tough decisions. I used to feel guilty for having gone far from my parents and it was Mohan Mathew sir who made me feel better.
It would be unfair to ‘thank’ all these people. Shwetha ma’am (matha shwetha) who kept visiting me at the oncology ICU once said, “Don’t ever thank your friends”.
(It's been four months since my Amma left. I have been waiting for a chance to get a picture with these gems. Missed Gayathri & Nahas though.)
#sobhanacharitham
