Another passing

Mrs. Naina died in the fag end of 2009.

She died alone. In the bowels of the HIV ward of a large government hospital in Mumbai.

Its very hard.

We had known Mrs. Naina since February 2007. A Bengali lady. A widow. She struggled long and hard with her HIV.

There were some bright points in the journey. Mrs. Naina seemed to respond well to medication for TB and the ART that aimed to keep the HIV levels low and allow her immunity to rebuild itself. Our staff met her repeatedly in the tiny hovel she stayed in. There were real smiles many times.

But all through, Mrs. Naina continued to struggle with her health. She was weak. She had chronic urinary incontinence which severely limited her ability to work. Her brother and sister in law moved from Kolkota to look after her. They went through ups and downs with her.

Finally it was becoming clear that Mrs. Naina was just not going to get better. We tried to provide palliative care at home. Mrs. Naina was angry. Her brother and sister did not want us to be there. Neither did Mrs. Naina. They began treating her at private hospitals and admitting her at the government hospital in Thane.

They hired a lady at Rs. 300 a day to stay with her in the hospital. Mrs. Naina recovered a bit but fell sick shortly after.

They finally took her to JJ.

She died alone.

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We have had a hard start to 2010. The fireworks went off all around us, but we feel tired and drawn. It is very important for us not to lose hope. To stand up for each other and to focus our eyes on God who provides real comfort even in situations of extreme grief and apparent hopelessness.

Though we wish we could rescript the last few months of Mrs. Naina's life - we have over the past 2.5 years had many wonderful experiences with her and her brother and sister-in-law. She loved God and held on to His hand. We know that she is at peace now - and look forward to meeting her again.