Thread by @Least_ordinary

[1/14] “She needed surgery in a small town. There was a naxalite attack nearby. I was helpless”

A short story 🧵
#MothersDay2022

[2/14] I was in class 7/8th. During the summer vacations there was a naxalite attack some 100 kms away my home town. They had disrupted some power transmission by a big attack.
Effect: There would be no power supply in the entire district for almost 2 weeks.

[3/14]The repair of the lines needed time plus the fear of naxalites further delayed line men from trying to go there. Being a kid it wasn’t an issue for us. But one night my mother started screaming in pain. I never had seen her cry like this.

[4/14]As a small kid I was scared. We took her to hospital. The surgeon examined her and told that she has obstructed umbilical hernia. Little did I know about it.
They said it can make the intestine go into gangrene if not operated on time.

[5/14]Mind is so clever and foolish at the same time. It perfectly picks up facts that can scare you more.
The word gangrene made me freak out.
The surgeon said that operating her there won’t be possible due to power failure and we will need to take her to Raipur (300 kms)

[6/14]At that time there was no air connectivity in my town. The only way to go to Raipur was via road. We couldn’t take her that night itself because it was too late.
I sat beside her and kept praying to God. Never had I felt so helpless.

[7/14] I just kept saying to God. I will become a surgeon. I can’t see her in pain. You please take care of her this time else I won’t forgive you.
Yes that’s how a kid talks to God in his head.
I sat beside my mom fanning a newspaper in that ward entire night.

[8/14] I never felt sleepy. I just wanted to take her to Raipur asap. We started next morning for raipur. 5-6 hrs by road and all I did was kept looking at kilometres milestones and kept a count down in my head. We stopped in between to get saline bottle changed.

[9/14] Once we reached raipur. She was worked up and OT was scheduled. A sleep deprived fearful head kept guessing all the foreseeable outcomes and tears kept rolling. I didn’t show it to my father coz I wanted to act brave. They shifted my mother to OT

[10/14]I was sitting just outside the OT with a GSM reliance phone in hand and my father beside me. I thought my phone can disturb surgeons inside so I turned it off. How silly!
I kept praying to God. My mother wanted to meet me. They called me, but our phone was off

[11/14] A nurse came out and handed over the ornaments of my mother to me. And I started weeping like anything. I started asking that nurse why? What happened? How did this happen?
He consoled me and said it is just coz ornaments are not allowed in OT

[12/14]My mother is just being anaesthetised in OT. Those words gave me a great relief. Ahh my mind was so dramatic. But that’s what fear does to us.
My prayers worked and OT finished well. I hugged my mother in post op and kept crying happy tears.

[13/14]I met the surgeon in post op, touched his feet. He asked me- “What do you want to become in future Mr. Harry Potter?”
I looked towards my mom and said - “Surgeon”

It was a roller coaster ride to reach here but I am glad I did. I definitely owe it to my mother.

[14/14] I still have a dream to improve the healthcare facilities in my small town where people have to go to Raipur or other major cities for lots of conditions.
There are so many small towns in our country where conditions are similar.
I hope we can make it better some day