Few days ago, I was sitting in my Medical Officer room, preparing list of patients who were to be operated the next day. A woman of medium stature having fair complexion, appearing to be in late 40's entered the room & greeted me with a smile. She then handed over the file & I started to enroll her for the OT list. She was going to have Phacoemulsification of her left eye cataract with an intraocular lens implant.
She asked me, " How long will be my stay ? "
I replied, " You will be admitted today, operated tomorrow & discharged day after tomorrow. "
She responded, " But I want to be operated today & discharged as soon as possible. "
I replied that it is not possible because of the patient load & you have to stay here for 2 days. Then I asked why there was too much urgency.
She said after taking a deep breath, " I have come alone & also there is no one at home to care for my family. I have prepared 1 day's meal for them so that they can consume it during my absence. "
I asked, " Why you have come alone & there is no one at home? "
She replied, " The reason I have come alone is that we are very poor. When we had bungalows, cars & every luxury of life, everyone wanted to be with us & enjoyed our gatherings. But now when everything is gone, no one comes to see us. "
As she started to unfold her story, expressions of grief on her face, gradually became more prominent.
She continued, " I have a husband & two sons at home. My husband is a patient of congestive cardiac failure & is suffering from Tuberculosis these days. My sons are 14 & 12 year old. I have been facing problems since the start of my marriage. When I got married, my lower limbs lost their function due to unknown reasons & I spent 7 years in bed after which I recovered. I didn't had any babies during this time. After this, I had 4 Cesarean sections leading to 4 babies, but 2 of them died. After that I had Myomectomy ( benign tumour of uterus, removed by surgery ) which didn't yield significant results & was latter followed by Hystrectomty ( complete surgical removal of the uterus ). Now I suffer from diabetes & hypertension for last few years. And the reason, I am here is that the cataract of my left eye is causing a disturbance in my daily left activities, as I am the lone carer of myself, my husband & my sons, besides Almighty Allah."
When she finished, I started to saw tear pearls running down on her cheeks which then she wiped with her dupatta. She didn't loss control & regained herself immediately and started to Thank Allah for whatever she has. I also expressed my sympathies & prayed for her well being.
The next day she had a successful Phacoemulsification surgery ( the charges of which were bore by the hospital ) & was sent home after that.
I was really moved by the bravery, valor & determination of that woman & will remember her in my prayers always InshAllah.
