Monthly Musings : Oct -21 Turning A Man

 

Monthly Musings : Oct -21 Turning A Man

Oct 7^th is Manas birthday and my boy turned 18 years old, he has now become an adult. For me he had become a man 2 years ago when he showed great courage in facing one of the biggest battle of his and our lives. Manas decided to join a gym and after Dr Shobha approval he enrolled in one. His mid term exams started and he went to school. It was good to be back to normal routines. On 30^th October, we had the good fortune of meeting in person his holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar from the Art of Living. Many of our close friends and many whom we did know also had prayed with Guruji to help Manas tide over this crisis and it was such a overwhelming experience. It was emotional moment for me and Shalini while our brave son narrated his story. Guruji blessed him and also asked other devotees to clap for the boy’s bravery.  Another month over and the year comes closer to end.

Monthly Musings : Sep -21 Come September

 

Monthly Musings : Sep -21 Come September

September is time when I have my birthday and no better gift then first time Manas went out to meet his friends. It also is onset of festive season with the Ganesh festival being first of those. Manas is now back to full fledged study and 3 days a week we go for net practice. We decided to organize a T-10 tennis ball cricket tournament and asked Manas to co-ordinate. It was good fun, 5 teams participated and had a full day tournament, Manas played a match after 2 years.

Monthly Musings : Aug -21 A Year of Freedom & Giving Courage

 Monthly Musings : Aug -21 A Year of Freedom & Giving Courage

15^th Aug is celebrated as India Independence day and it was exactly a year ago when Manas chemo was over and he started on his maintenance phase. This month was his 4^th quarterly Lumbar Chemo and it went smooth. Thankfully this time the Dexa medicine did not cause major side effects. This month I had shared mine and my family’s experience on how we faced this crisis. It was a tough and emotional to share this with a wider audience but it made me courageous. Many team members appreciated this and said they gained strength. I also went and met a mother who had lost her son and could share some of my limited experience. I was hesitant initially but then felt if someone can get courage from me why not share. It was very satisfying experience. There is enough pain, misery and negativity all around and few moments of sharing and caring make a difference. Manas cricket practice is going on and I also get some more exercise on this pretext. A month of learning and sharing for me.

Monthly Musings : July -21 Back to Cricket & Facing your worst fears

 

Monthly Musings : July -21 Back to Cricket & Facing your worst fears

July has been onset of monsoon and its raining heavily. Luckily we found an indoor cricket club very close to our house. It is quite a nice place and me and Manas go to give him practice. They are open till 9 pm so going late means no crowds and also good time to spend. Manas wants to get back to his earlier shape hence we consulted his dietician who has put a diet plan for him. His 10^th results was expected this month but delayed by few days. This month posed a situation personally for me where I had to confront the worst fears that any parent goes through. Though this was not for Manas, one of my colleagues neighbour’s son who was same age as Manas was diagonised with liver failure due to post covid complications. It was heart wrenching to see the parents situation and I was avoiding reading or seeing updates about the boys condition. The boy required daily blood apart from huge financial costs. Seeing the parents updates was unbearable and I couldn’t muster courage to act because fear of loosing your loved one’s is the worst fear no parent wish to undergo. I finally felt I should not run away from this situation and go and see what best I can do. I did my bit of blood donation and help but speaking to both the parents and giving them hope was the toughest task. Everytime they spoke, I could see my helplessness in them. We all were praying for the kid to recover soon, Manas also volunteered to speak to the boy and motivate him. Unfortunately the cruel fate had other plans and the boy lost his fight. It was one of the most heart breaking news and just prayed why someone has to go through so much pain.  Sometimes one doesn’t know what to do or where to derive the strength from except to pray and belive that this too shall pass and time will be the best healer.

Monthly Musings : June -21 Quarterly Chemo & Dexa Strikes Back

 

Monthly Musings : June -21 Quarterly Chemo & Dexa Strikes Back

This month was again an extended lock down and thankfully the cases have come down. People are warning of Wave 3. This month was the quarterly chemo which is called Lumbar, Manas had his lumbar and he wanted Dr Salman his favorite doctor to give the injection as it is less painful and normally has less side effects. Dr Salman gave him the injection and Manas was absolutely fine. Dr Shobha said he is doing fine and introduced Dexa tablet for 5 days. In past whenever Manas was given Dexa it led to some or other side effect and hence this was not given in past but as Manas was coping much better she decided to give to him. Manas was not keen but reluctantly agreed. As expected Dexa did strike back and in few days Manas developed rashes and prickly heat kind of pimples. Dr Shobha advised to give him Oilatum and he was better. Later we went for follow up and his parameters were fine. Already 3 quarterly Lumbar are over. The doctor advised that in next visit we do the Echo and Pro BN test.  Manas schools are have become regular and so have his classes for Maths and Accountancy. Manas also finished the draft of his book, aptly titled as ‘It’s Not That Hard’. Me and Shalini reviewed and was very difficult reading what was going through his mind, it also re-enforced the fact that a strong will power and positive mind does wonders to body. I gave my inputs and he is planning to complete it by August. June 6^th was also the 2^nd death anniversary of my mother and we can still feel her presence, am sure she is watching over us. Cheers.

Monthly Musings : May -21 Class 11th Begins

 

Monthly Musings : May -21 Class 11^th Begins

This month was full of lockdown again and groups filled with obituaries. I lost a few distant relatives. This month Manas 11^th grade college started and it was again online classes. This has become new normal. Given the lockdown we did not venture out as there were multiple cases in the apartment. We got a small size TT table and play in my parent house which is now vacant. Manas is finding commerce interesting. Shalini is also taking her classes and is busy. The covid task force has been a fulfilling activity, we had food volunteers and prepared food for covid affected families. We were able to conduct a vaccination drive as well and 230 residents got vaccinated. Shalini got her shot at Apollo. Manas hospital visit was fine and parameters normal. His Vyamada was to be stopped after a Echo is done. Dr Shobha advised not to do the echo till the corona cases come down and asked to continue with the medicines. Manas has not started doing weights to build muscle. He is missing the outside practice of batting in nets or playing badminton, hence we now play with tennis ball inside the house. End of month cases seems to be tapering off and hope there is no 3^rd wave. We now go into the 6^th month of 2021 already. Time seems to fly.

Monthly Musings : April -21 The 2nd Wave Strikes

 Monthly Musings : April -21 The 2^nd Wave Strikes

This month has been the most heart wrenching, where the 2^nd wave of the deadly corona virus spread across the nation. Last year we heard of cases admitted and now groups are filled with obituaries. Manas board exams were cancelled which was as expected and based on internal exams marks will be given. Seeing the dire state of affairs, I took the lead to form a Covid task force in our apartment and that is giving a sense of satisfaction and helping someone in need. The situation is very bad with non-availability of beds, oxygen and medicines. The administration is trying its best but then this what happens when one is not proactive and takes care of the fundamentals. I went and took my first shot of Covi shield vaccine, Shalini hasn’t and by then there was a lock down announced. Manas routine twice a month visit continues and he is parameters were slightly varying hence the 6MP doses were increased to 11. Manas is now reading about 11^th commerce, have started teaching him abouot stock market and investments. He is now following the Chelsea club as well and at home it is IPL, football and chess that is keeping us busy. He has now perfected kneading the chappati dough and making pasta. We have started providing food couple of days a week to covid affected patients and he helps us with that. Praying that this time too shall pass and the world heals itself soon.