I was sitting in the chamber of my Microsurgery Centre one evening, and there was a sudden commotion outside. A villager dressed in very rustic and filthy attire was standing with a small child in his lap. There was a dirty linen bag that showed bloodstains. The child was in a whining frenzy and shouting in pain.
I never had a sign that this would be the time to get a blessing from the charity.
The man forwarded me the linen bag. I was flabbergasted to see the contents of the bag. There was the child’s amputated hand from the level just below the left shoulder.
The hand was amputated when the three-year-old child was playing around with a water drawing concoction and was accidentally caught in the belt of a machine.
The man wanted me to do a re-implantation of the severed limb.
The man was penniless with a meagre amount of money in his pocket. He fell to his feet and pleaded with the folded hands to go ahead with the surgery.
I looked at the child’s face and was floored by my emotions and sensitivity.
I had just returned to India after going through rigorous training in microsurgery, at the best microsurgery institution in Houston, USA.
I realised that someone was testing me. My skills were being tested and my quench for making money was in question.
I took the test.
My assistant and my anaesthetist agreed to not charge anything for the surgery. We went through an ordeal.
After almost six hours of toil, I managed to re-implant the hand successfully. The child got back his hand.
I realised that it was not my first surgical feat and the dexterity that made me come out with flying colours.
Blessed in Charity
It was the ‘FAITH’ and belief of the man that sent positive vibes to me and made me jubilant.
That was the first successful re-implantation operation in the region, rather the entire State.
Today, that child is in his early thirties and leading a normal life.
We are making statements that the relationship between Doctors and Patients is deteriorating. No, this is not true. We must build faith in the psyche of the sufferer and speak the language that he can comprehend. We are healers and givers.
That day, I made no money; rather, I spent a bunch from my own pocket.
But I was rich, very accomplished, and had earned the extreme faith and naive blessings of the rustic man and the juvenile smile on the child’s face.
