Five weeks over. One more to go. It is Friday and the world is winding down for a weekend. It is a good time for families to get together. Suraj is driving over from Lincoln with his friend Torrey to spend Saturday and Sunday with us. Ravi has a track meet and Jyoti & Jeff have work so they could not come. Suraj is on spring break and has decided to check up on us. He has been taking care of the house during our absence and doing everything that comes with the territory. We are so proud of the way he has shouldered this responsibility and handled being home alone (with Mithu - our Mackaw). We can hardly wait to see him tonight. Father and son have so much sports news to catch up with. Suraj is a walking encyclopedia of information and is blessed with incredible memory for anything that moves-sports , cars, planes & yes ultra fast video games. He likes to analyse strengths and weaknesses of different football and basketball teams and predict winners and loosers. His predictions are uncannily accurate and Sachi likes to chat with Suraj and brush up on his sports IQ.This weekend we have some other family members coming over too. My cousin from New Jersey, Veerji (means elder brother) and his wife Gurjeet, are coming over to cheer us up. Veerji and I grew up together as kids in Simla, a beautiful city tucked away in the folds of the Himalya mountains. I was five when dad got transferred to Nagpur and we moved away for a while. I could not understand why Veerji was not coming with us. That is when I was told that he was my cousin and had to stay back with his parents. Ofcourse Veerji and I have ignored that small fact and have always been close like brother sister. With the passing away of my brother Kuku, Veerji and Gurjeet's coming means that much more to me.
Sachi's cousin Mama is coming over from Seattle with her son and her husband (Ashok) whom we will meet for the first time. Mama's mother is Sachi's Bandana mousi (mother's youngest sister & even younger than Sachi !). Ashok is in medical IT for Mayo clinic. We are looking forward to spending the weekend with them and getting to know Ashok and their young son.
Sachi is doing very well considering how sick he had gotten a few days back. The IV fluids have done wonders. Water is truly the 'elixier of life'. It has brought much needed relief from fatigue and dizziness. This has enabled Sachi to again walk back and forth easily from hotel to clinic and also pose for photographs in front of the numerous art works scattered all over the Mayo Clinic. The half boiled eggs and liquid supplements are maintaining the weight and we are keeping our fingers crossed regarding the Peg tube. The inside of his mouth is raw and gives him a lot of grief. For this he takes pain medication, adjusting the dose every few days. We will be meeting with Dr. Garces on Tuesday who will do the weekly evaluation and give us the final word on whether the feeding tube is needed or not.
All of you, our dear family and the whole 'extended family' of friends from far and near, have generously shared of your self and your time and made our ordeal easier. For this we are eternally grateful.
"When life serves you lemons
Make lemonade"
Thankyou for sharing the lemonade with us.
Ambi
9 comments:
Dearest Sati Mamu & Ambi Main,
Pranam.Main..Thanks again for your beautiful and detailed mail on the weekend happenings at Rochester and about Sati Mamu's treatment and condition.
We both are so happy to know that Suraj and Torrey are over at Rochester this weekend to be with Sati Mamu and you..I am sure you both must be really happy and excited about his visit too..Hope Sati Mamu and Suraj can catch up on all the sports news they have missed discussing together and hope Sati Mamu gets to brush up his sports IQ too thanks to our walking encyclopedia of information..:)Hope the four of you have a great weekend together..your last weekend in Rochester as next weekend you would be back home with the kids at Lincoln for good putting all this behind you and moving ahead to enjoy the good times & "GOOD LIFE" of Nebraska..with Sati Mamu on his road to full recovery.
We are glad to know that your cousin Avtar Bhaiya & Gurjeet Bhabi are also going to be there in Rochester this weekend to be with you and Sati Mamu..We are sure his coming means much more to you now than ever before..Hope you get to spend some quality and comforting time with him and his wife..recollecting some pleasant and happy memories of your childhood spent in Simla...enjoy your time with your Veerji Main!
This sure is your visitors weekend.. :) Hope you get an opportunity to spend time and get to know Ashok and their young son too..Hope all this doesn't get too hectic for both of you though..hope Sati Mamu manages to get his required amount of rest too.
Sati Mamu..is was really heartening to know that your are doing much better this week after the IV fluids and are able to walk easily on your own back and forth from the hotel to clinic and ofcourse pose for photographs in front of the numerous art works scattered all over the Mayo Clinic..:) We all wait eagerly and cherish every photograph of yours that Main posts on the blog every week as it gives us an idea of how you are doing..Daddy infact has your Mayo Clinic photograph up as his PC screen saver right now..Hope the half boiled eggs and liquid supplements help maintain your body weight so that you can avoid the feeding tube in the last week of your treatment too..we both hope and pray to God that your final weekly evaluation with Dr.Garces goes well and that the feeding tube is not required for the last few days of your treatment..Hope your final and sixth week of treatment too goes well and uneventfully.
Our thoughts and prayers are always with both of you and the kids.
Pranam & Prayers,
Love always,
Leema & Achintya.
life's givin me all kinds of lemonades... so i'm sitting at home squeezing it to make some lemon chai :P i was hoping to head out there to rochester this weekend and stay for a few days but i can't chill around bododa with a cold/cough/fever dancin around my sinuses... how are things? i'm glad suraj is there to hold down the fort!
love and pranams,
vivek
Dearest Sanabhai&Nuabou,
Pranam-We are really happy to know that by the grace of God,inspite of all odds& discomfort the fifth week of treament went well & uneventfully-Sanabhai-you have managed to gain some weight-that`s great-hats off to your patience & perseverance&halfboiled eggs-they really worked wonders.Now the countdown has begun-We are hopeful that last 5 days of your treatment will also go well & Pep tube may not be necessary at all.God is Great.We are grateful to Him & praying hard for your complete recovery.Once Mr.C(Chemo)& Mr.R(Radiation)stop their attack on your body,you are bound to improve quickly-God bless you&be with you always.
So this is the weekend of visitors & both of you being real great hosts-Hope you have wonderful weekend with your dear ones-Have fun.
Nuabou-all the best for your new painting which you might be finishing by now-It is said that "our sweetest songs are those which tell of our saddest thoughts".Likewise these paintings of yours are sure tobe your best paintings as created during the mostdifficult times of your life.
Nuabou-your picture of the Mayo Clinic atrium with its high profile patient looks very impressive-After seeing this,we feel assured that Sanabhai is getting the best medicare & sure to getwell soon.We have the enlarged version of this picture as our screen saver on the monitor-it looks very nice.Thank you.
We are doing fine-Yrsterday we(both of us&Achintya) had dinner at Joy`s place-Sini playing the hostess .We really enjoyed the evening.Sanabhai,we went down the memorylane discussing & reliving our childhood pranks-Babi & Sini`s fabulous command over Oriya???.BABI! Are you listening?We recapitulated how BABA insisted on their learning Oriya,our mothertongue even at a latestage-how difficult it was yet how very essential-first lesson of patriotism(for the Mothertongue)I believe.Our BABA was really a great man and will continue to remain an icon in our memory always-
Bye for now-
Lots of love &best wishes to you all,
Nandini&Swarup
PS.THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN..5-4-3-2-1-0-Gone with wind-Vanished.
I've gotten a whirl of cardiology patients in the last few weeks. Its making my thirst for cardiology deeper. I dunno if I've proclaimed my future career goal. It may well be in cardiology BUT it'll be in pediatrics cardiology. I'll be using the next year to explore the fields of Peds Cardio, Peds Neuro, and Peds Surg to hone in on my final choice.
So, my Bododa did have a big impact on me. I remember shadowing him in the cath lab before starting college, almost 10 years ago. We flew to Hastings, I think, together in a jet, rode a limo to the hospital, and saw patients all day. Shadowing any doctor is a treat, but when that doctor happens to be your uncle, it is a rare treat.
As I followed Dr. Nelson today and viewed two cardioversions (shocking the heart), I was instantly taken back to the cath lab where Bododa was expertly weaving life back into the soul of a suffering patient. It was magical then, and I must admit that it remains magical now. I hope that part of medicine that keeps me awestruck never dissipates. And I hope my future cardiologist teachers are as vested, fervent, and full of life as my Bododa.
Like the nectar of our Upanishads is contained in the Bhagawad Gita, similarly the beauty of our relationships is truly renewed and rejuvenated only in togetherness....In separation while the distance yawns, the images of one another grow. And relationships are connections between two human beings, not two imaginary pictures of each other. When we shed the images that we hold in our minds and cease to be guided by them in our actual encounters, true relationship emerges, bringing about a freshness that renews itself from moment to moment....While our mental assessments and images are static and lifeless belonging to a dead yesterday, however, the living realities and relationships between one another being dynamic, allow a person to change and evolve like the eternally changing faces of life and nature's phenomena....
The weekend that went by must have validated the subtleties of such relationships with family and friends.
That was a beautiful update, Nuabou. While being informative and expressive, there was a depth of feeling hidden in every word that elevated it from the mundane to the artistic, from a mere collection of words to a moving expression of sentiments....
As the end of the tunnel approaches, the rainbow of life draws closer. As God has steered both of you through this challenge, let the varied experience of facing and overcoming the daily trials become a lasting canvas recording the splash of discordant colors unleashed by fate, and the soft shades of rescue and relief showered by Him, producing a masterpiece of pain and endurance, adversity and courage, contradiction and comprehension,....and above all, of love and compassion.
Pranams & Prayers
Babi
Dear Sachi and family,
Just a note to let you know that I was thinking about you and your family. I hope this note finds you in good spirits.
If there is any service I might offer here in Lincoln please feel free to let me know. 402 540-1288
Take care and we'll see you soon.
Dave Vuchetich
Dear Sati Bhai and Nuabou,
Pranam. We reached Seattle safely last night. It was nice to see you all together with Suraj, Torrey, Avtar Ji and Gurjeet Ji. Suraj has grown up to be a responsible young man. With all his flair for aviation, we wish him a "flying" career. Torrey was nice to speak to. Wish him to ride the "ladders" with success in his chosen field.
Nuabou, we were really touched by the warmth of your endearing personality. Hats off to you. May you remain as strong and cheerful. And do share the pictures of your labors of love, those amazing paintings in work.
Sati Bhai, hope you take enough fluids to keep hydrated. Just one more week of therapy and you'll be able to soon catch up with all the great foods you may have missed. Wish you a speedy recovery.
Ayush (our little brat) immensely enjoyed all your company as well. Thanks a lot for keeping him engaged :)
Talk to you soon.
With warm regards,
Mama and Ashok,
Seattle, USA
It has been several days since I have had a chance to check the blog. Adyson's new favorite thing is trying to type on the computer whenever we are using it so I can only check mail etc. after she goes to sleep. By the time she finally goes to sleep I am exhausted and am ready for bed myself.
I am so sorry to hear that things have been rough for Sachi. I do so remember when my dad got to the point where eating was so painful they ended up putting him on IV's. I am glad to hear that Sachi's strength has gotten better these past few days.
Hang in there! Hope to see you both home soon!
Love
Heather
Dear Bada dada,
It is such a relief to be reconnected to you and everybody else. I haven't been able to access the blog site for days / weeks because our internet server was down for the longest time. I did try to keep myself updated about you through Baba & Sini apa - but it was just not the same. I think this site has helped all of us to come much closer and lean on each other through this ordeal.
I was quite nervous there for a while when I heard about your dehydration and how the side-efects were beginning to take their toll on you. Just one more week, then they will all be on their way out and you will be back on your way to the strength and fitness that all of us identify you with.
Hope you had a great weekend with everybody visiting, but I also do hope you didn't go overboard (although knowing you, that may just be too tall an order).
Waiting for you to be done with all this and to get back to the Huskers!! I realize it is much harder right now with all the pain and discomfort and weakness, but better times and better health are right round the corner. So hang in there, Bada dada - just a little while longer. We are all trying to hold you up through our prayers - and considering how hard everybody is praying, it has to work!
Love and prayers,
Pinky & Sushmit
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