On a sunny morning of 18th June 2011, (Which was not so sunny for me, as I had to get admitted for Donor Hepetectomy, which was scheduled the next day) I got a call from my uncle that it’s postponed and I have to stay back for a while. Tears rolling down as I am worried about how my father would survive. He is already in ASA IV category. I was on the ball to help and save him, but things are going to the dogs. Within an hour I got another call that we are taking my father to Medanta, as his health has shifted to ASA V. Reluctant efforts to not give up, a strong determination, fistful of hope and with ocean of faith my family decided to move a moribound patient 900 KMs and expecting a surgery within 24 hours.
So next few hours felt like a decade and went in a jiffy altogether. All the help from the family and friends, making new financial arrangements, making new legal documents all to be done in hours. And with the gods’ grace, we can. We airlifted my father, the whole night we both underwent all reports and preparation and legal clarity again and in the early morning, He (We) got operated. YES WE SURVIVED THAT STORM.
But the story doesn’t end here. Along with all other complications, I got something new , that is Post post-operative bile leakage. This requires stenting through ERCP. But Drs are hesitant. why? Because I was 20 years old back then, and again it requires more hospitalisation. ‘So what? You can do that, right?’ You must have thought. But no I can’t. As I want to appear for my 3rd BDS uni exams which was scheduled exactly a month after that is 20th July 2011. Drs advised to skip a year and to their wit and wisdom they were right that a year doesn’t matter in the long term. Worrying about skipping is trivial.
But as a naive 20-year-old who has just started to taste the bitterness of Life was not convinced enough for a year loss. Ignoring my health, torturing myself, Drs and my kin I appeared for exams and passed it too.
But as a 32-year-old today if I were given a chance, I would have taken things differently, I would have taken my health as a priority, I would have chosen rest over the companionship of a drain coming out of the abdomen like a precious jewel for a month. I would have chosen peace of mind and not stress of exams. I would have chosen a stent over multiple transliver aspiration before going to exam hall. I would have chosen staying and resting over giving the exam with Vigo in hand. I would have chosen peace over anything else. I would have chosen adaptability to the wisdom of Drs over my inability to foresee.
This whole scenario made me think about the triviality of storms we think will destroy us. But we often forget we are not the only one who is in power or who has power, there is something more to it, and that is TIME. It has not stopped or slowed or rushed itself for anything/ anyone. Yesterday’s immature bud is today’s flower and tomorrow’s fall.
What matters ocean to you today will be a drop tomorrow. Disheartening over the triviality will be a Himalayan blunder. You think you are in power, but you are not and you will never be.
As Tulsidas said, “ समय बड़ा बलवान है, मनुज नहीं बलवान।“
