Patient Speak

COMPLETING THE CIRCLE It is not often that one gets a chance to express heartfelt gratitude but, I think I am lucky to have been given this chance. My parents always told me that one should be grateful for everything one receives in life but I don’t know what words to use to say thank you to this temple of healing that has given me and my family a new life, a new hope and new faith. I am an academic and pardon me if my letter begins to sound like a classroom lecture. Old habits die hard and I am all of forty five summers… …Read More

HIGHWAY TO HOPE A doctor was speaking to a patient. With the rigor born out of habit, the doctor was repeating in fluent Tamil, a South Indian language. “You are being discharged today. You will receive your discharge summary in which all the instructions that you have to follow are mentioned. Follow them rigorously. Your heart valve has been replaced. It is a metal valve and has to be maintained. We are giving you a medicine, Warfarin.” The forehead of the patient puckered in confusion. The doctor picked up the discharge summary and showed him the name of the medicine printed in bold… …Read More

DESTINY’S CHILD! Bangalore with the sobriquet of ‘the software capital of India’ has become the proverbial melting pot with people from various parts of the country coming over to find their destiny in the ‘binary’ world. On reflection, it is funny to see how much we have ‘coded’ our existence to the digital world. ‘Indispensable’ has taken on a new meaning with electronic gadgets taking the place of our memories and the age old pen and paper…. …Read more

DANCING TO LIFE’S NEW TUNE! Those of us who have read Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland will be familiar with the phrase, ‘grinning like a Cheshire cat’; particularly the conversation when the cat disappears and only the grin remains. Lewis Carroll authored another equally hilarious book, Through the Looking Glass – all this humour from a man who was also a very serious mathematician. But the grin? Yes, the grin. Coming back to the grin, it was something similar to that of the cat, except the grin had a young boy’s face attached to it… ...Read More

A STARFISH AND THE OCEAN A little boy playing on the beach saw this solitary grey haired veteran walking on the sands close to where the waves ebbed and flowed. Every few steps, the old man would pick up something and throw it back into the sea. The boy ran up and saw to his surprise that the old man was, in fact, throwing starfish back into the sea. His little brown eyes wide open, the boy asked, “What are you doing, Grandpa?” “What do you think?” replied the old-timer, a twinkle in his blue eyes… ... Read More

FAROOK’S TRIALS… AND THE TOUCH OF ALLAH The short spry man in grease stained grey overalls looked up from his efforts on the machine, nodded and stepped back. The young assistant kick started the motorbike and the engine roared to life with a slew of blue exhaust from the tail pipe. The mechanic shook his head at the sight and turned to the owner of the vehicle. “There is a problem with the petrol. The oil filter has far more sludge than normal. Change your petrol station…or you will be coming to my garage every month…” … Read More

Seven Tense Hours… and the Triumph of Life It was 6.00 am in the morning when the vehicle drove up to the emergency department of SSSIHMS, Whitefield. The patient was smoothly transferred onto a stretcher, brought in, laid on the bed and connected to medical support systems. One look told the clinicians that he was all but gone; all vital signs were at their lowest ebb and there was no response to stimulus. The doctor picked up the patient response sheet, and began writing down the observations. The final score for this patient suffering from a neuro condition was an abysmal ‘3/15’. In clinical terms, he was at the threshold of the Grim Reaper’s call… … Read More

When The Door Opens… The paper plane glided silently over the beds and made a belly-flop landing on the nurse’s head. Apparently, the parting between her tresses was the perfect air strip for that voyage of imagination. Engrossed in recording some notes in the patient’s file, she was caught unawares and with a mix of surprise, irritation and curiosity, turned to glare at the bunch of children occupying the Pediatrics cubicle… … Read More

“When Love Beckons…” I shall call myself Shweta; but this is not my real name. I ask you to understand my desire to remain anonymous. It may come as a surprise to you that this story is written in the first person. Well! That is so because I wrote it myself. In fact I requested Heart2Heart to have it as it is, with some editing, if needed, but without changing the essence. I want the world to know what I have received – the greatest gift of all…the gift of Life… … Read More

How God Built the Life of a ‘Little Builder’ “What brought you only to this hospital, why not another?” I asked, testing the waters carefully. “We wanted our son back…and we could not afford it elsewhere…” the directness of the reply shook me. Many would cut a religious angle and talk of the will of God…yet others would wax rhapsodic about the greatness of the hospital and Sai mission but this answer was straight on the mark…Bulls eye! “That’s all?” I asked “That’s all.” he replied… … Read More

When The Divine Sought Out the Dutiful Civil Servant… Fifty six year old Salil Kumar Sarangi hails from the town of Dhenkanal, the district headquarters of Dhenkanal district in the state of Orissa, in north-east India. Born into a farming family, he rose to the position of Deputy Collector of Dhenkanal district in the state government, thanks to his hard-work, sincerity and determination. Today, he holds an impeccable record as a civil servant of 25 years… … Read More

Swapan Sees Anew and Celebrates Life Swapan Garai’s world, in a matter few days, has changed from absolute dejection to complete joy. A young man who had left his native town of Calcutta in search of success and work, and traveled north-west to New Delhi, the capital city of India, found a small-time job in a factory making bicycle helmets which fetched him a meager Rs. 4,500 a month (approximately US $ 110). But just when he thought he had made a start and hoped to build a new life with hard work, the glimmer of hope that had begun to shine at the end of the tunnel seemed to fade away… ... Read More

From Cardiac Blues to the Family’s Blue-Eyed Boy Samir Parida feels totally at ease in the ward and mingles with the nurses as he would with his elder sisters at home. When free from answering phone calls, Samir helps them push the medicine trolley as they dispense medicines to the patients in the ward. Sarbeshwar Parida, the proud father of the child, looks on at Samir busy in all such activities, partly in amazement but mostly with a deep sense of gratitude towards the Hospital and to its Founder, Bhagavan Baba for giving his dear son a brand new lease of life… … Read More

OVERCOMING FATE WITH FAITH Those eyes. They shone. They shone with innocence and purity. They shone like rubies, set in marble. “Is that why she was named Ruby,” you wonder. Resting her head shyly in her father’s lap, she gives you a gentle smile. And you wonder, “How could such an innocent child go through the trauma of a heart surgery?” Her father answers for her, “Vishwaas hi sab kuch Hein” (‘Faith is everything.’)… … Read More

NEW VISION, NEW LIFE. “Eight months ago, one evening I was returning home from work, and suddenly I was gripped with a never-before-felt pain in my head. I also started vomiting. After few minutes, the pain did stop, only to recur after 10 days,” says the thirty-eight year old Varanasi Sarwesvar Sharma. “I am a farmer,” continues the frail-looking father of three daughters aged eleven, eight and five years. “I did not have the time to go to the hospital; I cannot afford to go; I cannot wait long hours as it generally happens in any hospital. So I started taking Homeopathy pills, but as days passed my condition only got worse. For some inexplicable reason, my vision started deteriorating, and I had to start wearing spectacles,” Sarweswar recalls the troublesome days of his trauma. But this was only the beginning… … Read More

He Steals Hearts While His Heart Heals… Heart disease can be very cruel. Ask Little Rishi. Barely into pre-school, his little heart struggled to keep up with the little bundle of energy he was. His teacher noticed him cough and sniffle frequently in class. His mother noticed that he fell ill and caught infection easily. His friends noticed that he wasn’t as big built as most of them, and barely stood one round in friendly brawls. And so “Chotu” was born… … Read More

“Gift of Life to the GIft of God” In the Viveka chudamani by Sri Adi Shankaracharya the opening verse begins with the phrase “Jantunam narajanama durlabham…” Of all forms of life, it is most difficult to attain that of a human being….The word Durlabha generally connotes rare or difficult to attain. ‘Health is wealth’ is an aphorism that we are taught right from kindergarten but how many of us honestly take it seriously? … Read More

DAWN…AFTER A LONG DARK NIGHT! As a philosopher once said, “every great thing that ever happened to mankind began as a single thought in someone’s mind.” But then one has to dare to dream. The fear of failure is the biggest stumbling block in human initiative. But that was not the case with Malini. She did a one-year course at the Chitrakala Parishat of Karnataka in Tajore painting. She is now going to embark on a new journey. A journey with a companion of a lifetime… … Read More

The Grateful Granny from Bijapur Though she lives in a land with such a hoary past, history seems to have little to do with her day to day living. References to the famous historical, cultural and architectural landmarks of the district bring to her old wrinkled face a placid smile that speaks volumes of her lack of sophistication… … Read More

THE GIFT OF LIFE TO A GOOD HEART Poonam’s young life had many blessings. Her parents were devout and God-loving, so it came naturally to her to turn to God for guidance and support. As a child, her favorite deity was Goddess Saraswati. At age seven, she came into Swami’s fold. Poonam attended Bal Vikas classes in Darjeeling and was a bhajan singer in the local Sai Samithi… … Read More

WHERE LOVE IS THE THERAPY… “Your case has been posted for Monday,” said Kumar while opening the case file and scanning the contents. “Can you tell me what brings you here?” Being a medical professional, Dr. Hota summarized his condition starting from the first symptoms of cardiac disease to the present situation in succinct terms. It was impressive to watch two professionals in their individual fields in conference. It was a lesson in clinical detachment… … Read More

FAITH, FORTITUDE…AND THE DIVINE TOUCH!!! “Oh! This child has been admitted and discharged four times.” Said Dr. Anil, to no one in particular; then he looked at the sister and the officer and said, “We are unable to perform surgery on him because he has persistent and continual chest congestion, cold and cough.” Three pairs of eyes swiveled to the little baby boy. “Saab…” began the father hesitantly…. … Read More

FROM HEARTBREAK TO HAPPINESS “Patients were pouring in and the place was getting crowded. I suddenly heard a little boy’s voice from the back calling ‘Aunty, aunty’. When I turned around I saw Kotishwar, with bright shining eyes and a wide smile on his chubby face. ‘I can see, Aunty’ he said as he came running and held my hand. ‘Take me to the doctor. I want to tell him also that I can see”… … Read More

AMITA`S AMAZING JOURNEY– FROM DOUBT AND DESPAIR TO LIGHT AND DELIGHT to be born healthy is the greatest of miracles. Witnessing the excess of physical ailments in the world, congenital and acquired, one must be grateful to one’s maker were one to be “normal”. To all those of us who take life for granted, who crib about every little inconvenience, every little cold and cough…to us who are “fortunate to be normal” here is a small story about the not so fortunate Amita Sahoo. … Read More

AN UNPRECEDENTED MIRACLE OF LIFE…AND DIVINE LOVE “It is a healthy baby”, said the gynaecologist to Mrs. Kiran Kumari four months into her pregnancy. Her husband Mr. Karanam Srinivas Rao a photographer by profession in the port city of Visakhapatnam received the news with great joy and the birth of his first child was a moment he was looking forward to. For him everything was picture perfect now. Theirs had been a traditional arranged marriage in the year 2004 after which the couple had settled down to raise a family. The baby in her womb was their first issue and motherhood was a destiny Kumari looked forward to with great joy. Everything seemed moving in the right direction… … Read More

JAGADISH DISCOVERS HEAVEN AND FINDS FULFILLMENT IN SSSIHMS, WF Once in a while, though, there comes along a patient for whom the Hospital and the treatment made available here are nothing short of a miracle. They strike a deep and deadly blow at one’s narrow ways of thinking, fuelled by ego, self-centeredness and materialism. Mr. Jagdish Chandra Ghosh is one such individual who underwent a bypass surgery in January 2006. He came to the Hospital referred by his son, a doctor, who told him that, “If you cannot find a cure for your illness at this hospital there is no other place in the world where you can be cured.” … Read More

GODFREY AND AGNES FIND GOD AND ANGELS IN SWAMI’S HOSPITAL The relief in his eyes is there for all to see, and her gentle smile says it all. Their intense struggle of six long years, culminating in their visit to Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Bangalore, has finally paid off. Agnes Muwanga from Africa ) is now ready to tell how Swami’s Hospital has helped her obtain a new life… …Read More

THE SPIRITED LITTLE TEACHER IN THE HOSPITAL Today I met a Teacher who taught me unquestioning faith in God. This did not happen in a classroom, there was no bespectacled professor, nor were there any clever arguments being exchanged. I was taught Faith in the Hospital ward through the little index finger of a 5-year old child… … Read More

“THE HOSPITAL HAS GIVEN ME…TIME” His name sounded uncommon. Even to a busy Hospital like ours that registers over a hundred Indian names each day. That, I must confess, was what got me into conversation with him. “Newand?” I heard myself say, “What does that mean?” The short, kurta-clad figure explained that it meant ‘prayer’ where he came from, a remote village a thousand miles north of Bangalore . He threw me another unfamiliar name that I could not register, but I figured he was talking of his home in far away Madhya Pradesh… … Read More