Miracles Do Happen!
I have been praised to be a resilient person. I say it’s my passion and I live Resilience 24×7. You will see different shades of resilience in my writings (including in this book). And, after about two decades’ journey in this domain, I can easily say that I owe this to my parents.
I had mentioned a little about my father (Dev Raj Sood) in my last book ‘My Experiments with BCM’. The seeds were sown then, and are being reaped now.
My mother was admitted to Max Patparganj, Delhi hospital on Saturday 22nd October (2022). After CPR etc. she was put on ventilator (intubated, in medical terms).
We were worried and all negative thoughts started surfacing and numbered as:
1. Doctors/ hospitals have to meet their targets and that is what they must be doing.
2. Message given was that it was a severe attack and the injury to the heart would have been severe along with possible damage to brain also. Her age factor would be an added risk.
3. We were able to see her in the MICU after few hours – she was cold, still, many monitors and gadgets around her.
4. We also noticed, during the next visit to the MICU, that her eyes were covered/ closed with tape.
5. The message to us was that she was under ‘post cardiac arrest care’ and the next procedure would be conducted after 24 hours.
6. Ventilator means – the person is gone/ or no one ever recovers from being on ventilator – so many stories of this type go around.
7. The anxiety was at peak leading to fatigue also.
Worried, we were praying for her health. (do not have guts to write other feelings).
We expected that the update would be provided to us at around 7am next morning (making it 24 hours since the last procedure) – there were none for over 4 hours since that time. The anxiety had risen further. We were allowed to go into the MICU and see her at 11:30am – I was the first one. It was the same old scene – cold, still, gadgets (even more perhaps) around her – she was still on ventilator.
The nurse standing next to my mother, at this moment, called ‘Aunty ji!’ and the MIRACLE – she opened her eyes, looked at me, and shook her hands – I told the nurse ‘Thanks, I will come again and talk to you and the doctors, first let me allow others also to see the MIRACLE one-by-one’.
12 days of anxiety – filled with negative and positive thoughts. There was one thought “she has been a very strong lady throughout her life – and she would be up once again!.”
We were a big family – so to raise 8 kids, plus adults (include visiting relatives also) in the family, cooking for them and making them good citizens (we hope we are) – wouldn’t have been an easy task. Like my father, my mother also worked hard and contributed to finances by doing extra work – she was good at stitching/ sewing clothes – we wore clothes stitched by her at least up to our full schooling.
So, she was a strong person – today we would say she was a Resilient person!
She had about 10 falls in life – breaking her legs and arms (mostly the arms) – including steel plates in one arm – but would be up and running within weeks of injuries/ fractures. An exemplary lady!
Covid-19 Pandemic might have impacted her a lot (physically, emotionally) – as she was confined to home for over 2 years.
At 92, she still can cook for us and make tea for us – happily.
Writing this chapter from hospital (on night duty), she is still in ICU. But Miracles do happen – her ventilator was switched off three days ago, and the tubes were removed (extubation, in medical terms) two days ago, she is just on oxygen now. We await another miracle that we are able to take her back home and the next miracle that she gets off the bed!
MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!
(we are a big family – ‘well-knit and connected’ and all have contributed to this chapter in our lives – I wish all families are like ours! The world would be so good – caring for parents and being resilient! I could have named this chapter as ‘Take Care of Your Parents – and Be Resilient!).
(She left for her heavenly abode on 14th November 2022).
This is a special chapter in my book “My Experiments with Organisational Resilience”. I will share some learnings from untimely demise of my mother – specially for those in India/ Delhi.
