Family Crisis on 9/11!

Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Bombay

A Family Crisis on 9/11

     Namaste from Bombay!
     The thing about being 10,000 miles away from the US on the anniversary of 9/11 is that you do not remember how momentous it is for everyone in your home country. I honestly did not remember it at all because a family crisis rocked my own world today. Later, when it did register that America was mourning, I could not help but think how similar what I went through today was with those who lost or saw loved ones badly injured in the tragedy of 9/11.
     I had finished breakfasting (birschersmuesli and coffee) and showering as I wanted to leave my home by 9.15 am to go across to my Dad's place before I took the train and went to downtown Bombay for my two appointments at 12.30 and 2.00: at St. Xavier's College and at the Asiatic Library. My idea was to go and cut my brother Russel's nails as I had noticed that they were a bit long.
   So, my bag packed with a three-tiered sandwich for my lunch and meant to be eaten between appointments, I left my place and in five minutes was at Dad's.

Crisis!
     There I found myself in a bit of a drama. My brother Russel who is mentally challenged and badly affected by osteo-arthritis in his left knee (so bad that he can now merely hobble about the flat) had a fall after using the restroom in the morning.  Although he has assisted care 24/7, it seems the man hired to assist him was ineffective as Russel crashed to the ground badly twisting the ankle of his left leg.  With great difficulty and the help of about three to four men, he was raised on a chair and taken back to his bed where he lay down until the doctor was called. The advice was that he should be taken to a hospital.
     Through a good family friend named Ewell, an ambulance was called. Dad, the day assistant and I then rode in the ambulance with him to Holy Family Hospital in Bandra which is about a fifteen minute ride away. Meanwhile, Dad also contacted another close family friend Jon Ken who has been helping him in such circumstances on past occasions.  He told us that he would meet us at the hospital. Russel was wheeled straight to Emergency where, after x-rays, it was established that he has had a compound fracture--both bones of his left shin, just above his ankle, have broken. He has also dislocated his left knee. The knowledge was shattering (if you can forgive the pun), but Russel can feel no pain--he has never expressed pain which leads us to believe that the part of the brain that indicates pain is non-existent, in his case. This can be a blessing (for him and us) but it also baffles doctors who do not have indication how they should treat him (in many cases). There was no need for pain-killers, but anti-inflammatory pills were immediately prescribed.

Diagnosis:
     Long story short, Russel was admitted to the hospital today and doctors showed us the x-rays and informed us (Dad, Ewell, Jon Ken and myself) that they will need to do surgery on his leg as a first priority, reset his dislocated knee, use the opportunity of his being under anesthesia to drain his swollen knee of accumulated liquid and set his leg in plaster. The prognosis extends to three-months' healing time for the shin. At a later stage, the knee will be addressed. The orthopedist who visited Russel at the end of the day (he had been issuing instructions throughout the day to his assistant doctors who had taken action accordingly) told us that it is probably too late to do knee replacement surgery. However, he did talk about fitting Russel with a caliper (through surgery) that will brace the knee and prevent it from going out of joint again. In other words, he will need to go through a minimum of two surgeries.

Prognosis:
     As a great believer in the power of prayer, I do believe that through this awfully dark period, something good will emerge.  Russel's knee will finally get the medical attention it needs while he is still hospitalized.  He will, hopefully, conquer his fear of hospitals and emerge form this ordeal probably in a better state than he is now. Yes, I am stretching--probably a bit too optimistically. And I am also unaware of the fact that the next three to four months, while his leg is in plaster or in a boot and healing will not be a picnic and will be difficult to watch and difficult to support.
     But we shall do the best we can.  Friends and family members have already offered help and Russel already had two visitors: my cousins Meera and Veera both spent some time with him in the morning and in the evening.  No doubt, once word gets around, more people will come to see him and, should we need help, we have to do nothing but ask for it.
     My day was spent talking to hospital personnel, discussing our options with Dad, purchasing the immediate medication he needed from the pharmacy on the ground floor and accompanying Jon Ken to the Bandra police station where fractures have to be routinely reported to the police by hospital authorities.  This involves getting a signature from the police station--which took just a few minutes. However, a police officer was despatched to the hospital so that the policeman could actually see Russel and ask him a few questions and get him to sign a statement.
     I found that getting to know how the systems operate at Holy Family Hospital with friends Ewell and Jon Ken was easier than I thought. I found the place organized, clean, and efficient, the staff very patient and helpful and the doctors both kind and professional. Even the chore of getting a signature from the police station and going through the interview with the police officer was easier than it could have been as I had Jon Ken by my side guiding me through the process. Yes, this is going to be a huge learning curve for me but I am more than up to the challenge and I feel privileged that my position here in Bombay at this time allows me to lend a hand in a family crisis.
     Dad and I left the hospital at 9.30 pm--my lunch was half of my sandwich as Russel wanted the other half. We took a rickshaw home. I'd had a chance to tell Llew what had happened as soon as he awoke in the US and I gave Chriselle the news upon arriving home at about 9.45 pm. I had a guava for dinner as I honesty did not feel like eating when I reached home and I fell asleep with a To-Do List for tomorrow as Dad and I will be back at the hospital together at 8.00 am.
     Needless to say, I cancelled my meetings for today and tomorrow and will now purely focus on what is required of me in the next week. The cliche 'One Day At A Time' has never sounded more relevant to me.
     Please keep Russel in your prayers. As Tennyson wrote, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of..."
     Until tomorrow....