We always saw mom as someone very strong and resilient. While dad often suffered from spells of headaches, so the smell of balms like Amrutanjan were a constant in our home, mom rarely fell ill - or feigned unwell-ness.
But something took a toll over the years. She developed "sugar" (imbalance) - diabetes - later in life which she managed to bring under control. Her blood pressure was also a concern.
But worse was still to come. In 2011 she and dad got hit by a speeding car while they were crossing a road. Mom suffered a back fracture that took her a lot of pain and time to recover from. Then in 2014 she developed a hip fracture while at home and had to be hospitalized again, followed by very painful recovery.But she bounced back and even managed to travel abroad in 2012.
in Feb 2020, after dad's passing away in Jan 2019, she fell on the floor while getting up from bed. She fractured her right arm trying to break her fall. She was close to 80 years old. The subsequent surgery to insert a metal plate in her right shoulder area was an excruciatingly painful affair - overall. The runup to the surgery, the surgery and post-op recovery in the hospital.
The at-home recovery was slightly more comfortable but yet an uphill task for mom. Luckily she was aided by an excellent - and very personable - physiotherapist, Dr. Aamir.
In 2021, she experienced chest pains and the diagnosis was blockage in her arteries.
The procedure to place stents on her arteries caused one of them to rupture, leading to paucity of blood to her brain for a few moments.
There are never really any Whys...
She was put back on ventilator - and against all odds, she fought back to regain consciousness. We brought her back home after nearly a month in the hospital, for home care. This was a very involved affair and we had full-time nursing care for her and her room like a mini-hospital.
After many ups and downs she passed away, quite suddenly it seemed to us, on Feb 20 2022.
Some of her final memories can be found here [Images after her right arm fracture] and here [images after her stent procedure mishap]. You may skip if you do not wish to undergo any further emotional distress.
The featured image on this page is of Calvin & Hobbes, a cartoon that mom and dad adored - and so we got a poster framed for her, hanging in front of her when she was bedridden in her room.
