The lone breadwinner of her family after her husband had died of a heart attack two years ago, the widowed sweeper of Nirmala Hospital in Calicut, Kerala was struggling to pay for basic amenities while caring for her two growing children.
There was a pending loan of Rs 1.25 lakh even though the bank had waived off the interest, seeing her pitiable condition. With friends and family unable to assist much, the woman was struggling as the deadline from the bank to attach and take over her property drew near with friends and family unable to significantly assist her.
The stress took its toll on her heart and she suffered an episode of angina, a severe, squeezing chest pain that required urgent medical attention.
Lying there in the room of the treating physician in the very hospital she worked, she finally broke down when he asked her what was wrong. In between fits of tears, she explained her condition and how she and her children stood to lose everything in the coming days with no alternatives left.
She was wrong there.
A single message from the physician to the anaesthesiologist of Nirmala Hospital set things in motion. Messages were sent on Whatsapp to fellow doctors in the hospital across various departments. Political arguments and debates were set aside and the topic of the day became the loan of the sweeper who always had a smile for them as they passed by the halls of the hospital. Determined to help, everyone chipped in. Doctors who had once worked there but since left the country sent money. Even friends and relatives of the doctors there - absolute strangers who did not know the woman - did not hesitate to donate for this noble cause.
In less than 24 hours, the entire loan amount that was remaining was paid off by the doctors, no questions asked. And yes, the woman ended up crying for the second time in two days when she realized what the doctors had done for her. In her own words later that week, she told them that for the first time in years since her husband had passed away, she had slept in peace without worrying about losing her house.
This story has not appeared in any newspaper. I know it because I know one of the key doctors of this story. True to his specialty, he prefers to remain behind the curtain and not have his name mentioned here. So be it.
They could have treated her for her chest pain and walked away and no one would have pointed a finger at them. They could have blamed her misfortunes on her fate and pretended not to notice when she stopped coming to the hospital.
But they didn't. Instead, they worked together without medicines or scalpels and ended up saving an entire family, just because they all felt it was the right thing to do. And that is what makes them Heroes of Kindness.
This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event to showcase stories of compassion. The idea is to spread positivity and light to counterbalance the negativity and darkness in social media. You can check their pages to find the list of feel-good stories written by bloggers from around the world.
There was a pending loan of Rs 1.25 lakh even though the bank had waived off the interest, seeing her pitiable condition. With friends and family unable to assist much, the woman was struggling as the deadline from the bank to attach and take over her property drew near with friends and family unable to significantly assist her.
The stress took its toll on her heart and she suffered an episode of angina, a severe, squeezing chest pain that required urgent medical attention.
Lying there in the room of the treating physician in the very hospital she worked, she finally broke down when he asked her what was wrong. In between fits of tears, she explained her condition and how she and her children stood to lose everything in the coming days with no alternatives left.
She was wrong there.
A single message from the physician to the anaesthesiologist of Nirmala Hospital set things in motion. Messages were sent on Whatsapp to fellow doctors in the hospital across various departments. Political arguments and debates were set aside and the topic of the day became the loan of the sweeper who always had a smile for them as they passed by the halls of the hospital. Determined to help, everyone chipped in. Doctors who had once worked there but since left the country sent money. Even friends and relatives of the doctors there - absolute strangers who did not know the woman - did not hesitate to donate for this noble cause.
In less than 24 hours, the entire loan amount that was remaining was paid off by the doctors, no questions asked. And yes, the woman ended up crying for the second time in two days when she realized what the doctors had done for her. In her own words later that week, she told them that for the first time in years since her husband had passed away, she had slept in peace without worrying about losing her house.
This story has not appeared in any newspaper. I know it because I know one of the key doctors of this story. True to his specialty, he prefers to remain behind the curtain and not have his name mentioned here. So be it.
They could have treated her for her chest pain and walked away and no one would have pointed a finger at them. They could have blamed her misfortunes on her fate and pretended not to notice when she stopped coming to the hospital.
But they didn't. Instead, they worked together without medicines or scalpels and ended up saving an entire family, just because they all felt it was the right thing to do. And that is what makes them Heroes of Kindness.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event to showcase stories of compassion. The idea is to spread positivity and light to counterbalance the negativity and darkness in social media. You can check their pages to find the list of feel-good stories written by bloggers from around the world.
Your cohosts for this month are:
HEROES OF KINDNESS
For the last few years, I have been compiling a list of real life Heroes of Kindness and Compassion from across the world. The aim, of course, is to restore faith in humanity for those who need it most. You can view the following editions below featuring over 200 stories of kindness from across the world, including my interviews with some of these big-hearted individuals who will restore your faith in humanity.
This brought a tear to my eyes So inspirational. These doctors changed a life and this has a ripple effect. Thanks you so much for posting this Aroha nui (lots of love)
ReplyDeleteI wish there were more like you ..god bless
ReplyDeleteWhat a heart-warming story, proving once again that small kindness added together have an exponential effect. Thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteNice to hear. Really great.
ReplyDeleteI am speechless. Kudos to all the doctors at Nirmala Hospital for this absolutely amazing and compassionate act. More power to them.
ReplyDeleteHeartwarming story that proves once again that there is good in our world
ReplyDeleteThis brought tears to my eyes, Roshan. It's a story of caring to listen, wanting to reach out and some great team work. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThis brought tears to my eyes. Such a lovely story of caring for another human. Thanks for sharing this Roshan and kudos to the doctors who came together to help the lady. So kind of them.
ReplyDelete