This is the story of a 57-year-old lady who did not even have enough money to travel to Bangalore from her hometown in a remote district of West Bengal. SSSIHMS gave her a reason to smile with support from Boston Scientific Inc. USA.
Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal is a district not many would have heard of. In fact places in the neighbouring country of Bangladesh were closer than most Indian towns and cities. It is here that SM and her husband, with their two daughters, earned a meagre living by selling and renting out marriage articles and accessories, which fetched them a monthly income of about Rs.6,000 (US$95), which was barely sufficient to manage her family of four.
Into this uneventful life entered a maelstrom. “SM’s heart is weak and needs expensive treatment(somewhere aroundRs7-8lacs or $11000-12000),” she was told after she complained of palpitations, breathlessness and uneasiness, and visited Raiganj Hospital close to her village. The doctor who examined SM was aware of the family’s economic condition and immediately directed her to visit Sathya Sai Hospital for treatment. Coincidentally around the same time the local Sai Samithi also advised SM to visit SSSIHMS in Bangalore. It was then that they realized that they did not even have sufficient money to travel to Bangalore.
Somehow they made the trip and SM visited the hospital on March 15, where she was checked by a team of cardiologists. She was admitted immediately for treatment, and successfully underwent pacemaker (CRT-P) implantation.
Now they are extremely happy, she feels better, and the family is thankful that SSSIHMS has given them a new lease of life.
(As told to Sri.Venkatraman, a Sevadal Volunteer and written by Mrs. Sheela sai Prasad)
Note to the Reader:
In a normal human being the pumping efficiency of the heart is around 70% but in these cases it could range from 5% to 30%. These devices increase the pumping efficiency of the heart removing all the associated problems due to low pumping efficiency.
