It was around 4 or 5 months that I had joined THBS. EE project specific training was in progress which was about to start in a week.
Doddamma calls me and asks me to visit her home. No reasons mentioned. To my surprise, mom was already at doddamma's place. Was wondering why I wasn't I aware of her visit. Her face was dull, worried, perplexed and a mixture of so many grievances. Slowly doddamma tells me Dad is admitted to Kidwai hospital. I didn't know what was going and kept calm. She asks "do you know kidwai hospital?". I straight away replied "no" for which she answers "its cancer hospital and your dad has cancer". She didn't stop for me to react continuing "don't get angry on your parents for hiding it....it was not a bad intention".
I had no immediate reaction but slowly anger started showing up as to why was it hidden from me. There wasn't much room for my anger since dad was already hospitalized and was in need of platelets.At that moment Platelets was an alien word.
Many people came forward to donate blood. Sriki, Sheshav from Thbs volunteered. Doddappa had arranged a couple. I donated for the first time. Dad recovered in couple of days and returned back to Dwr.
This is how the story revealed around 8 years ago. But it had begun probably a year or two before.
Its been a decade now that Dad has been fighting CML.
I just finished explaining the whole trauma of a decade with one word "fighting". It doesn't do justice. As I am writing this post at 1 am, Dad is struggling to sleep due the complexities of 2 times brain stroke in a duration of one month. The brain stroke though is not related to CML but has doubled the pain and suffering for the whole family. Even Dad's brothers shed tears looking at their younger brother.
It was very unfortunate that Dad was the victim of the brutal disease. Later I saw so many victims of Cancer, of various age and at various stages of the disease that I literally felt "we are in a better position".
I don't know my exact intentions of this post. Why would somebody sketch the pain and suffering on a blog ? A psychologist may throw some light on this. My brain seems to be bitten by a stroke as well. But the posts that are going to follow will throw some light on the symptoms, problems, medications suggested by doctor and the progress of disease.
Dad has finally asleep. Let me get my share of sleep. This post and the forth coming ones have been pending since a very long time. The wait is over!
