This story is being shared with all of you as a part of #YouCanDoIt Contest!
You must be wondering if Ansh is someone’s name…But no, I have mentioned Ansh because an incredible part of me is my inspiration. The child whom I kept inside me, the child who is most important part of me is my inspiration.
So I was carefree, without the pressure of any responsibility on my shoulders, life was smooth… My pregnancy was smooth. Like every parent on this earth we were eagerly waiting for our bundle of joy. In the 8th month baby’s growth stopped and all of a sudden I was asked to go for a c-section. I was not that strong to bear the word “operation”. It was like a nightmare for me. Still, I had to prepare myself. I knew if I go weak it will make others in the family weak. The last thought which I kept in my mind was – I will be brave, I will go confidently. And yes, my child will be brave too. That time I had no idea that my child is going to be a warrior.
Delivery went fine. Baby was fine and was shifted to the nursery. On the third day when I took him into my arms, I could feel he is in pain. He didn’t open his eyes at all. Doctor too said he is looking depressed. We need to shift him to the NICU. We felt like our world suddenly shattered. He went through so many tests. He was not even given feeds and was completely on antibiotics. After a week or so, the deadliest word of our life “Rubella” came into existence.
Every time I went to see him I could sense if anything was wrong. Rubella affects the ear, eye, brain, growth, heart of a baby. So, it was like an overall damage. When everyone around us was celebrating Christmas and New Year’s with all that zeal, we were sitting in a room just praying… After 17 days he was discharged.
Now, came the responsibility. My mother in-law was scared to handle him. He was so small and weak. Doctor strictly asked us to prevent him from catching cold else the heart condition could go worse. We then gathered some courage, tried to recollect everything and stand up once again. We started visiting various doctors. At the age of just 3 months he went through his eye surgery as he had bilateral cataract. He was unable to see then. He was just 5 or 6 months old when he started wearing glasses with power of +20. Eyes were somehow fine.
Now comes the heart surgery at 9th month. That too went well. But it was so disheartening to see him in pain always, with wires all around and oxygen mask on…
More or less we have been happy and hopeful. He still is struggling with his growth issues and delayed milestones. He is two and half years old but can’t walk yet, can’t talk yet and doesn’t do things like a child of his age. Physiotherapy is going on. We will be starting speech therapy soon. And yes, der hi sahi, he will be on track and nothing can stop him.
Now you must be thinking how he inspired me when I just narrated a whole set of sad and emotional incidents. Well, my life and I have changed. I was the person who used to care what people think about me and used to get depressed. Now, I am the person who doesn’t care about what others say. I was not so positive. Now I can find positivity in every thing. When people stare at him, I get chills…Ahh!! We are celebrities. Dekho dekho aur dekho.
I was the lazy one who would love to sleep all day if I could. And now I am a person who gets to sleep maximum 5 to 6 hours a day and I am happy about that. I feel useless when I spend my day sleeping or just laying down unnecessarily. When people say our children are growing fast, they don’t need us to feed, they don’t want godi anymore… I feel I am lucky then, I still do these things and I am spending more time with him.
I have the courage to speak up now. His strength to cope up with his challenges has made me a stronger person. And I am so so proud to say – this has been possible all because of my own ANSH! He has inspired me to become the best version of myself.
It’s truly said, “It’s a funny thing about life, once you begin to take note of the things you are grateful for, you begin to lose sight of the things that you lack.”
#YouCanDoIt
sonam, whenever i read your stories i am at loss of words. all i know is, you and nishu are champs! you will always have the courage to face every challenge. and trust me, nishu will catch up on his milestones fast. believe it or not, compared to my sister, i was late at learning everything – right from walking, talking, cycling, swimming (learnt when i was 24 years old), studies, you name it – i was always behind. but i think i turned out okay :). enjoy your me time with nishu and look fwd to reaching out to the stars. more power to you guys. this is one of the most inspiring stories so far. god bless. stay wonderful :).
Sonam I know bit of your story already through bbc and I always felt to be a part of your and Ansh life so that jeevi and I can learn a lot from you people. After knowing more about the struggle you and ansh had and the way you carried it made me respect you more and love you more. You are an inspiration for me and others who only nag everytime. We never meet but I feel as if I know you from ages and you are my buddy. I would love to meet Ansh and want to hug him and love him for all the courage and stength he had shown. Proud of you Sonam😘😘