Hello Kidneys – What’s up!

 

Out of the blue flashed a tweet on the social medium Tweeter one day: “My dialysis is becoming very draining for me financially.  Oh, how I wish I die”. It stopped at that. One Obgyn doctor read it. She sensed the pain and helplessness of the person who had tweeted. The reader knew nothing about who had put out this stress call. For inexplicable reasons something made her send an immediate personal message “Can I have your mobile number, please”.

The person who had tweeted this was a lady in the fourth decade of her life. She was from a town in MP and was diagnosed as a young primary hypertensive for many years. Then this tragedy struck. Theirs was a comfortably resourced family who was buying all treatment for hypertension with ease. But as they say when tragedy strikes, it strikes enmass. Her father a successful businessman faced a massive loss in business. Out of despair he committed a suicide. The shock took away the mother in less than a year. This left her behind along with her two elder sisters. She was engaged to a boy whose parents called off the engagement as soon as the financial difficulties came to be known. She stopped taking treatment of hypertension as monetary problems took its toll. As she was having a vicious hypertension, her kidneys bore the brunt and failed.

One of her sisters who was very kind and was married in an equally kind family offered a kidney to her. A wealthy first cousin who had become very prosperous, thanks to her father’s help, offered to bear all the expenses of the renal transplant. The surgery was successful.

She resumed her work of taking private tuitions. As a teacher she was very popular. But the income from tuition had its limitations. She was not able to buy some very costly medicines that were required on a long-term basis for her transplant. The result – the transplant failed over a few years. Soon, as a side effect of some antibiotics, she lost her hearing faculty completely. However, she could speak. Now came the need for dialysis – a long standing recurring expense and unbearable suffering.

[VADA PAV]

This drained her off completely. Her tuitions continued on non-dialysis days but the recurring expenses of dialysis were brutal. She tried the government sources for help but could not succeed. She maintained on a meager diet consuming only a Vada Pav - one for lunch and one for dinner with few sips of water. (This is a savory and spicy soft fluffy bun, referred to as Pav, stuffed with a fried batter coated potato dumpling fritter called Batata Vada and laced with spicy and sweet chutneys). Obviously she remained hungry. She was forced to tweet: “My dialysis is becoming very draining for me financially. Wish I had died”.

                                            [Anonymous Help]

That is when the doctor, an Obgyn, read the tweet and sensed the desperation. She messaged offering her hand of support. Any pre-conditions? Only one – No one should know about this support. It should remain completely unanimous. She shared her bank details to the donor lady doctor, and every month regularly on 1^st or max. 2^nd a dignified amount got transferred to her account. With the new support she could buy a better dialysis facility and the medicines needed. This routine went on for more than three years.

But it seems destiny had other plans. The recipient’s condition worsened and she needed more dialysis sessions per week. Her drugs became more costly as time passed. She did not share this with anyone but took one more tuition with her challenged hearing faculty and cancelling her Sunday-offs.

One day as if by some divine ordain, the donor lady, randomly messaged her “How are you doing?” At that, she broke down. All communications were occurring through WhatsApp text messages.  She shared her agony. She shared in pain that she may have to skip one session of dialysis every week, if the situation didn’t change or “if she did not die”. This alarmed the donor lady doctor. She thought hard and just thought of exploring and involving some friends.

      [Social Media Groups]

Groups on social media usually are for socializing and many heterogeneous reasons. They may or may not serve much purpose. The doctor concerned was also a member of many such groups on WhatsApp. She wondered if she can put an appeal in her group. After lots of thinking and hesitation she finally put a message in the group and lo and behold – there was a flurry of offers. She requested for 12 volunteers and she got 14 doctors who offered to help – one each every month. All this was happening through private messages and only an occasional reference in the group. The reason behind the anonymity was to preserve the sanctity of the supporting act and avoiding any publicity. As they say, keep your camera at home when you are doing a good deed!

Today three more years have passed. She continues to send her support every month, and one member every month in rotation, from the WA group, duplicates it. With this the total support had doubled. This was most inspiring. One-time support is easy. But continuously every month without any name or fame for last six years for the donor lady and last three years for the members of the WhatsApp group this is going on. None of her supporters have ever met her. None have talked with her in person. None have tried to show any obligation. But the Ganga of support continues to flow incessantly from the group of Obgyn like you and I.

[Renewed Life]

The renewed leash of life has made the donee confident. It has affected all spheres of her life. She is nutritionally better now. It is not that her crises are over. She had a fall amidst and fractured her hip. But she fought positively to get back on her feet and walk. Nevertheless this simple-looking support has made her so confident that it seems now she wants to take-on anything and everything. One small support and an entire life bloomed all thanks to a mundane useless looking WhatsApp group.