The Kindness Towards an Absolute Stranger

I’m amazed and I’m touched by the compassion and kindness that people show towards someone who they have never seen, never met and never spoken to.

When I wrote about my neighbour’s tragic accident, many nice people left words of comfort and offers to help.

I’ll say it again. I’m amazed and I’m touched.

Thank you guys. You have no idea what difference you made to the morale of the boy’s parents, friends and relatives . You think you just left a comment or sent an email, but it truly made a differenece to folks here. At a time when the parents and friends were so down psychologically, this act of kindness from people whom they don’t even know, offered them solace.

And, you didn’t even know the boy’s name. Yet, you offered to help.

The boy’s name is Prabhu. Prabhakaran is his full name. I went to Apollo Hospital to take a look at him. He has been shifted from Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to Critical Care Unit (CCU), the highest care unit. While walking in, I met a familiar person… a distant relative of mine is in charge of CCU as anaesthetist. She told me about the Prabhu’s condition. The fall from the 3rd floor building has crushed his spinal cord. This has squashed his nerves which has made him limp from waist below. They need to perform an operation but they can’t.

His ribs have cracked and the broken rib bones have punctured both his lungs. Because of this, blood has started accumulating in his lungs. This is a heart-wrenchingly gruesome scene. They use a mechanized motor to suck out blood from his lungs and it keeps filling up a large can below. Only when this bleeding stops can they perform the operation.

There’s bright side to this. His hands and legs have not got fractured as we originally thought to be. He has bruises but no fractures. And even better news is that he has gained consciousness and started to speak slowly.

Funnily, the first thing he asked after he gained consciousness was to meet his class teacher and college principal so that he can ask for notes of the classes he has missed. Little did he know that it would take him a year to recover.

And even if he recovers, the doctors have said he may never be able to walk again. For the rest of his life.

That’s tragic. Relatives and friends haven’t told this to his mother yet. She would get even more hysterical.

I saw extreme acts of kindness. His college friends have gone around and collected nearly Rs. 1 lakh, all personal contributions from college mates. Sudhakar, a childhood friend, had contact his own circle of friends and arranged for eight units of O+ve blood which would be needed for the operation.

I also saw dark side of things. The ugly business world of hospitals. As soon as the accident happened, the students rushed Prabhu and his other injured friend to Govt General Hospital. They said that there is a waiting period of 10 days because of pending operations. 10 days?!! This boy didn’t look like he would survive 10 hours.

One of the GH doctors gave reference to Apollo hospital and said it might cost 1 lakh rupees. His friends contacted Apollo and asked for an estimated costs. Based on oral description of the case, the hospital gave an estimate of Rs. 3 lakhs. This was steep money for the family but they didn’t have a choice really. The rushed him over and admitted him. Three days later, the estimate was increased to Rs.7 lakhs. Yesterday, the estimate was again revised to Rs.8.5 lakhs. I have a strong suspicion it may not end here. For his parents, who run an STD booth to survive, this is a double blow. Now, they don’t know which to worry more about. Their son (who may never walk again) or this huge financial shock.

I’m not blaming the hospital. I have very high regards for Apollo. The hospital has saved my cousin and uncle from the grasp of death. Their care and treatment is undoubtedly high class. Unfortunately, so is their cost.

I went up to Prabhu’s cousin sister and told her about your offer to help financially. She broached the topic with Prabhu’s parents. For them, this is an awkward situation. They have never really had to take in money from others before. The fact is they are extremely stretched financially. They will be grateful for any help they can get at this stage.

For those of you who have offered to help, please do help the parents out. Thanks to Nag’s suggestion, I have created a donation page at ChipIn.com . Please note that while I’m helping set up the account, all funds go directly to Prema, the boy’s cousin sister’s account.

For those in India who might want to donate in Indian rupees, here is the Prabhu’s Mother’s bank account.

Name: A.Indira Gandhi
Account No: 500061191
Bank: Indian Bank
Branch: Tirupattur

Please note that this is purely voluntary. Do not feel obligated to help. Help only if you can. Any small help is appreciated.

Prabhu is at CCU Bed # 46 at Apollo Hospital. His mobile phone is currently with his parents or with the person who is taking the shift to stay at the hospital. The number is 94862 39694. The boy’s father’s name is Ravi Chandran and mother’s name is Indra. His cousin sister Prema’s mobile number is 98417 37722.

I have helped collect funds before, during the Tsunami but never for an individual. Personally, I’m not so much for collecting funds via my blog. But after seeing so much requests to help, I would be doing an injustice to both Prabhu and his parents if I did not help.

If you have helped raise funds before, please offer your advise and suggestions. Thank you.

P.S: I have set up a Wiki to update the progress on Prabhu’s health. It’s at http://HelpPrabhu.pbwiki.com There isn’t much right now but will add info on it soon.