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Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
The Five People I Meet Everyday
Have you ever been to ER? Sadly, I have been and it's the most chaotically organized place. When you are in the Emergency Room, you feel there are so many sick people in the world. But the moment you step out of the hospital, world seems all hale and hearty. That's surely not the case. A closer look at the people around you would narrate a different story. Someone had a tragic accident and lost his limbs; many have lifestyle diseases; some are terminally ill. May be, it appears ordinary on the face of it but a peep into their lives would tell you a great deal about their problems and how modern healthcare helped them in leading a normal life.
I keenly observed people around me and some of them have a story worth sharing. Read on…
Broken, Not Shattered - I truly believe when God takes one thing away, He blesses you with some other thing in abundance. I see this boy everyday maneuvering his fully automatic wheel chair across the street. He met with an accident, lost his right arm and his ability to walk. Must be a tragic blow for someone who had just passed his high school. His arm was so badly crushed that it was amputated. Prosthesis has given his arm back and his mobility is secured with a motorized wheelchair. Unlike earlier days, now artificial limbs are light weighted and easier to operate. My mother doesn't have left hand and when she tried artificial hand in the early 70s, she couldn't adjust to the bulky limb which restricted her arm movement. Thankfully, for this young man, modern healthcare has better ways to help. He is inching closer to a normal life. He is working and is independent.
Less Sugar, More Spice - He talks a lot. He offers you unsolicited advice on diabetics. What to eat? How to take insulin? How to test blood sugar? And he introduced the concept of Insulin Pumps to me. He says it was not easy when he found out that he is diabetic in the late 80s; but now, treatment and cure is much more easy and economical. He checks and monitors his blood sugar levels at home with one touch monitoring devices. What's amazing is that he keeps a log of all self checks on his iPhone app which he shares with his doctor during regular check-ups. My grandfather died at a young age as back in those days it was difficult to keep a check on your blood sugar. He thanks modern healthcare devices for keeping him full of life and vigor in spite of developing the most acute lifestyle diseases of our times.
Mother of Two - I first spotted her when she was pregnant. Her pregnancy was visible and we met everyday during our evening walk. We became friends and she told me that after six emotionally and physically difficult years, she finally opted for IVF. She was suffering from PCOD and test tube babies was the only option left. IVF is a blessing for couples. Nothing is more beautiful than bringing a new life to this world. With a surge in infertility rates in recent times, IVF has brought smiles on the faces of many couples. Now, we have company. She gave birth to twins in December; two pretty girls and it's an absolute delight to meet those bundles of joy in the park.
Not So Old Lady - She looks like a monument, trust me. But she is super active. I always thought, may be she is not the same lady but when I met her in the lift, I asked her, 'You live in the building?' 'Yes, honey!' pat came the reply. I complimented on her agility. Then I learnt how Tele-health services help senior citizens. They can get all the consultation on phone or via webcam. What more, medicines are delivered at their doorsteps. I learnt how the more advanced version of such services help doctors around the world to connect and help their patients. This aspect of modern healthcare has helped not only in curing people but also as a preventive aid. Even I get mails from my hospital informing me about check up dates and new discoveries.
Young at Heart - His spirits don't match his age. He has been given a brand new life, he says, after his Bypass Surgery. His life was difficult before, he couldn't do much of physical work. Initially, he was apprehensive and a little scared going for it. But with Minimal Invasive Coronary Bypass Surgery, he was back in action in very little time. He spent less time in hospital and there was less pain and faster recovery. He maintains a healthy routine now, exercises and plays with his grandchildren.
Each of these stories has one thing in common - Modern Healthcare has blessed their lives. But, if you ask me, 'why' modern healthcare is able to touch so many lives, the reason is it's economical and is easily available. It not only cures the disease but helps in prevention too. It educates the patient and helps us in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. One field of it helps in bringing new life to this world using IVF and another field assures that not-so-healthy parts of your body are taken care of. Not only patients, it helps various medical professionals from around the globe to connect and serve the society in a better way. It touches everyone in the way they need.
If you are looking for all the modern healthcare facilities under one roof, click here.
Friday, May 17, 2013
To You, Mom
Today I missed you. When the maid was cleaning the kitchen, I wanted to say your exact words, 'Do the glasses first.' I realized how much I behave like you. Those little habits that irked me while growing up are a part of me now. Some say I am your replica. I feel proud to hear that but at the same time I know I am not half as good as you are.
We kids never realize what our mothers do till we are placed in the same spot. We bask happily under your shadow, making excuses for almost everything. I discuss it with my friends how our mothers did everything without cribbing and always with a smile. Is something wrong with our generation or I have to be a mother to understand the generosity of this word?
I remember the day when there was flood in Ambala. We were sipping coffee on that beautiful rainy day. Out of nowhere, in just 20 minutes, our house was half submerged. You panicked. We started arranging furniture, throwing things on top of closets and saving whatever we could. The way you were behaving, I thought why were you over-reacting? There was nothing more we could have done. I thought, I was quite composed and you were hysterical.
It took me many years to understand why you behaved like that. When you dedicate your life to your family, your house is your temple. You preserve each of the materialistic things. Each item is a token of their presence, their memories and their love. That's the reason first you took all the framed pictures and kept it on a top shelf of the closet. They meant more than a costly show-piece kept adjacent to those pictures. You knew how to place value. I just labelled things.
It taught me the importance of home. I understood when a mother picks up her child's trophy when half of her costly belongings are perishing in water, she knows how upset her child would be when she won't find it. She knows what to protect. You were not hysterical, you were trying to protect as many memories as you could. I was unaffected as I only placed monetary value to it. I was composed as I never realized how far a mother could think for her child's happiness. To put it in a single sentence - I was not a mother.
When we were hit by super storm Sandy last year, I did my best to protect my home and my family. I knew what was needed. Now, I know how to place value on things. Thanks to you!
When I look back at my growing up days, I feel happy. I was brought up by such a wonderful person who not only taught me the basics of life but made me into a strong independent woman. For my successful marriage when people give credit to me, the credit automatically goes to you. Above everything else you made me a better person.
Here's a poem I've written for you:
From crawling till walking,
From humming till talking,
From taking my worries when I moan,
To listening to my problems on the phone,
I thank 'mom' for all these times,
She is the symphony in my rhymes.
Forgot few things a child's eye would miss,
She cut her finger deliberating on my favorite dish.
She kept quite when boss shouted for being late,
She had a lot to calculate.
I kept quiet on all these things,
She is a 'hero' whose praise no one sings.
She begged the doctors; even the nurses for me,
She prayed for my success bending on her knees.
She hardly slept when I was a baby,
She groomed me into a fine lady.
I should payback her; in a way she would agree,
For that I have to be a mother as good as 'she.'
Hope you like it.
Love,
Saru
P.S. Please throw my purple frock which you saved from flood. I hate it, my friends called me brinjal whenever I wore it.
***********************
‘I am writing a Tribute to Mom in association with Parentous.com'
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