A Life Changing Experience

When I was in class 9th, my dad had suffered from a cardiac stroke. That was a life-changing event for my family. My mother had managed the situation so bravely. We used to stay at Koraput, the doctors immediately referred Papa to Apollo Hospitals Vishakhapatnam. Along with a doctor, mama accompanied my father in an ambulance. It takes around 6-7 hours to travel between Koraput and Vishakhapatnam. She had handled everything alone until my other family members reached the hospital. Back at home, we had stayed with my grandparents for around 2 months until my parents were back after Papa's treatment. My sister and I used to go for vegetable shopping, finish up our homework ourselves. We used to wait for hours together near our land phone to get updates on Papa's health. 

This incident has made a strong impact on my sister and me.  

After one year of this incident, my mother and sister were out of town for a few days. One night when I was in deep sleep, I heard a thud sound. I could not comprehend it. So, I thought of opening my eyes and checking myself. What I saw was shocking, the light was on and my father lying on the floor. All I could see was a pool of blood. I called – ‘Papa, Papa’, there was no reply from him. My brain got jammed. Unsure of what to do next, I quickly took some water and poured on his face, he got back his senses after 2-3 minutes. I managed to hold him, and I do not remember how I dragged to get him back to the bed. I could see that his teeth are broken, and they have got into his lips. He said that they do not hurt much, but I could feel the pain on his face. I got some sugar from the kitchen and applied it to his lips. Then I called my neighbors and asked them to come to our house. I also called our family doctor. After one hour or so, the medicines started working and dad got back to sleep.  

Papa and I decided not to disclose this incident to mama until she was back. For the next 3 days, we managed to hide the things from mama. Papa was not able to talk for a few days. I had zero experience in managing household stuff, however, I gave my best shot in keeping calm and running the house till mama was back. 

These two incidents have made me mentally very strong and resilient.

My mom had clicked this picture when Papa was back after this treatment