How my 90-year-old Grandmother defeated Corona in India?

Before I let you into the heroic struggle of my Grandma, let me just give you a very brief backdrop of the situation in India amidst the pandemic.

In the early 2021, India was being applauded across the globe for handling the pandemic with the right measures. Especially considering the size of the nation.

“Considering the magnitude of the population, 1.3 billion, 37 states and UTs, 770 districts and multiply the key public health actions into that for that government of India has to be very proud of,” WHO representative Dr Roderico Ofrin said about India.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus went on record to praise Indian Prime Miniter, Narendra Modi for his effort towards the fight against Covid-19.

Thanks India & Prime Minister@narendramodi for supporting #VaccinEquity. Your commitment to #COVAX and sharing #COVID19 vaccine doses is helping 60+ countries start vaccinating their #healthworkers and other priority groups. I hope other countries will follow your example. — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on twitter (25th Feb,2021)

Well all that didn’t last long😢

Jump 2 months ahead(April 2021), India has already broken all possible records pertaining to the virus. Below Stats give a clear view of how India got affected by the Covid-19 Tsunami in comparison to the rest of the world.

India has turned into the Covid hotspot of the world. The thing is this is not even close to the worse. India, due to the large size of its population, a majority of the people are still vulnerable to the virus. Let’s see how:

Nearly 10% of the population in the US -the worst-hit country — has been infected by the virus till now. In Brazil, which is the third most affected country, almost 6.7% of the people have contracted coronavirus so far. In comparison, over 1.21% of Indians have tested positive for the virus since the outbreak.

This has collapsed our Health Care System

The sharp spike in active cases has also sent the demand for ICU beds and oxygen soaring due to a rush of hospitalisations. New Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said at a virtual press briefing on Monday that there were fewer than 100 critical care beds left in the city’s hospitals and that medical oxygen and key drugs were in short supply.

Hailing from the capital and well versed by the ongoing crises. The moment I found out that my family has been tested positive for Covid-19. I knew this is the worst time to get infected. Within a day, I observed my 20-year-old gym-nut and possibly the most physically fit member of the family, my brother’s SpO2 level drop to ~80. We consulted the doctor and the only advice he could give in the middle of the night was not to panic and fight it by yourself. Infuriated by the response, I consulted a couple of more- only to find out the same response. All of them encouraging positive thinking and advocating mental strength over hospitalization. A polite communication from every Covid superhero, Best of Luck. Thankfully, days passed and due to a good immune system, my brother started showing recovery signs on the 3rd-4th day. I was joyous for a moment before reality hit me. I realized my Grandmother has started showing certain early symptoms of the corona. Then it hit me, the fight is not over yet. The scare has just begun.

My Grandmother

My grandmother is a 90-year-old lady. She had spent a quarter of her life in the Himalayas. Before moving to Delhi post-marriage, her life involved performing daily chores of a typical girl residing in a mountain village: collecting branches, cutting grasses and preparing for food at home. Then she moved to Delhi, where she raised 4 kids in poverty for the next 40 years of her life. Once, all of her children were brought up to earn good, she finally started relaxing and enjoying her life after 65.

For the last 25 years, she had led a quite comfortable life. With the grace of God, she even at 90 had a good diet and no major health issue and was travelling the world

Mind over Matter #Resilience

Day (1–3)

Unlike my brother or the rest of my family, my grandmother followed a rather unusual cycle. She didn’t have any fever only a minor cough to start with but in a couple of days, she lost her appetite. This came as a shock to us as she was very fond of food unlike her other 90-year-old counterparts. We read the situation. We realised this can soon turn perilous for all of us. By the 3rd day, she started coughing a lot.

Day (4–5)

4th day into the cycle, she lost all her appetite. Fever picked up. We consulted the doctor post-RT-PCR positive report. Due to her age and the brief of her earlier health condition. We couldn’t give her any antibiotics. Only vitamin related medicines were prescribed. The doctor clearly articulated that we need to keep her in a positive mindset and the only way she can survive is by making sure she passes the cycle for antibodies to develop. What this meant was she had to go through a long cycle of high fever, cough and body pain due to her weak immune system( because of her age) without any medicine to keep it in check.

Day (6–8)

By the 6th day, she was not able to drink water as well. She started becoming weak day by day. It was becoming very hard for her to even go to the washroom. She could hardly speak. By the 8th day, she was already 4 days without food and 2 days without water. Even though we were very positive and making all the efforts towards her health but somewhere back of our mind, the situation was giving us all the hints that it would be very difficult for her to survive the cycle.

Day (9–10)

9th day, she finally drank half a glass of water. She whispered to me over the call, her wish to visit one of the holy pilgrimage in Uttrakhand, Kedarnath. This was the first indication of her desire to survive and still after 90 years, a desire to fulfill her wish. I was later to realize, a couple of days after the conversation that how a small wish turned into a will and how that will started turning down the fate that her body had accepted. By the 10th day, she could drink 2 glasses of glucose water. Still 6–7 days without food but we now we could see in her eyes that ‘will’ to get past this period.

Day (11–14)

It was a fight between her mind and her body. While her body was succumbing to the virus day by day, her mind kept on refusing fate like millions. Her mind knew it might be a matter of a few days. If she is able to survive these days. She will get past the cycle.

Born during the independence struggle, she had seen freedom fighters go on hunger strike for days, not given food for days in prison and still surviving as they had the fire to live and make the country free. With that will and with that belief to live and fulfill her wish. She kept on going.

Into her 9th day without food and hardly any water, you could see her physical condition deteriorating. Also, what could you see was her resilience.

Day (15–17)

Day 15, the first day, she slept better, the first day she got her thirst back. Day 15th also marks the first day, when there was no symptoms present. We got the covid test done, the next day we got the negative report. In a couple of days, she had her first bite of food. She still was eating less and body movement was also low but we knew weakness will take time to go.

Without any medicine and with her age and immunity against her and especially when her body gave up, her mind refused to give up and forced her body to live.

We don’t always need superhero stories to get inspired, superheroes are present all around us. It depends if we are able to see and take the motivation from them. This 17 days Covid-19 struggle that I witnessed made me believe that we will be able to survive and come through all of this before even we realize because humans mind can do what our body can’t.