Blaze: A Son's Trial by Fire: A True Story

by Nidhi Poddar

capricious thinking,

prospect

regal.

The absence of one thing sometimes leads you to explore the presence of some other new things in and around you. That was the time Divyansh did two new things for himself:

Israeli immigration authorities were quite particular while dealing with passengers looking like Muslims or those coming from Islamic countries. They would subject them to a higher degree of questioning. With my baby steps in speaking in English, I would have been thoroughly exposed answering their myriad questions as a result of the mere look of my dress. In all my life, I had never worn jeans or western clothing. My traditional joint family upbringing clad me in salwar-kurtas or saris. Wearing jeans was considered taboo, at least in my family. Even after my wedding, I never gave it a try simply because I never felt like wearing it, though Sushil often nudged me to reconsider my decision. Now was the time for this reconsideration and unshackling myself from the do’s and don’t’s of dresses that

by Michelangelo, in St.

beck and call.

Divyansh was no exception. But what was exceptional about him was a new height of human endurance he had touched by dint of the right connection between his mind and soul, wherein the painful process seemed to just caress him as he moved on. For me, it was a huge relief as I was mentally ready to see the worst as the nursing staff had forewarned us. There were lots of volunteers employed by the hospital whose job was to engage the patients according to their areas of interest. Music, especially playing the guitar, was Divyansh’s second passion.

allay

Vocab

revered

Vocab

enshrined

Ghj

I will have unconditional implicit faith, In your Grand design, And never blame You, or fate, For misfortune that may become mine. I will wield my own plough, I will cultivate my own land, I will do all my karma, And embrace whatever comes, with warm, open hands. You see, I have renounced fear, And over optimism and expectation. I will move ahead from here,

With a numbness tempered by determination, guts, patience And denial. I will be smiling and singing all along, And catching the horns of what comes my way, With an unrelenting, aggressive battle cry.

humungous.

Dvf

envisaged

Djcj

synergy,

Hdygnv

pretentious

hindsight,

Life is meant to be lived and not to save for later days to enjoy. Pain or pleasure—one needs to live each moment to the fullest. That seemed to be the wisdom Divyansh practised through his tough days. I understand now that it was the gradual adjustment of his perception and attitude towards himself and his responsibilities towards his parents.

imperative

Divyansh like his shadow since 2009 when he was diagnosed with leukaemia. So,

The teachers were particularly appreciative of the way he stout-heartedly excelled in multiple faculties, against the physical limitations posed by his illness.

A gradual realization seeped through me that I was stepping into Sushil’s shoes now to do what he would have done had he been with us then.

obeisance

beseeched

vegetative

On 5 December 2017, the final diagnosis based on tissue analysis done by the hospital in New York arrived. Divyansh was suffering from leukoencephalopathy, which is nothing but necrotizing encephalitis as suspected by Dr Reuven Or. Leukoencephalopathy in the brain happens because of extreme toxicity caused by intrathecal Methotrexate, which results in the formation of lesions in the brain and starts killing brain cells. When Dr Sam Lerman came in the evening to discuss the biopsy results, he dropped a bombshell on us. He commented that the leukoencephalopathy had caused irreversible damage to the brain and the condition was only going to get worse in the next few days. He said there was no treatment for his medical condition except administering intravenous steroids to reduce the swelling in the brain. According to him, there were hardly hundred such cases reported worldwide so far and there was not much research done yet to devise effective treatment protocol for this medical condition. Another bombshell he dropped before leaving the ICU room was when he said, ‘Don’t expect he will survive for more than two months.’ These discussions happened with Sushil, in my absence. Sushil, though extremely petrified with the line of Divyansh’s survival drawn by the doctor, went on to ask him about the prospect of treatment by hyperbaric oxygen chamber as advised by Dr Reuven Or. The doctor didn’t agree to his advice for the simple reason that Divyansh was not in senses to monitor

In American hospitals, there is an inhuman system of dumping the patients or forcing them to get discharged once the hospitals concluded there was no treatment for their medical conditions. The hospitals there work under immense pressure from insurance industries that keep tabs on the ongoing treatments and billings of the patients’ treatment. The hospitals invariably

‘Great things never came from comfort zones.’

But one thing is sure. While life gives you umpteen chances to redeem your faith, glory and missed opportunities, a time comes when you no longer get one. That’s a big full stop. I believed they had hit this full stop. If you are sensitive enough, you may have a sense of remorse at a later stage in life, otherwise you are just like any normal human being, enjoying the security of comfort zones. During the time we were in

The sight of him being driven again to the same hospital in an ambulance sickened me. I was traumatized all the way to the hospital, wondering