HER LAST WISH

part 32

Five lakh rupees were deposited to the hospital, and a sum of a few more lakhs was kept reserved for an emergency. This installment gave me a few days to arrange for the next massive amount. There was no ego, no hesitation, and surprisingly no fear. I was ready to beg anyone who could help me with the
money.
After my declaration in college, many of my colleagues and relatives got to know about Astha’s illness. However, they were still unaware of her HIV
condition. Astha refused to meet anyone. She had her reasons, and I respected that. Sargam was the only one who was allowed to meet her. Sargam came to the
hospital in the evening every day and stayed until nightfall. Together, they seemed different. I was fascinated, maybe because I never had a true friend in
my life. A friend would have been great for support through all this.
A couple of days later, Astha developed problems in breathing. I discussed it
with the doctors, and they suggested using an oxygen mask on SOS basis. According to them, it was not a big concern. The situation was at a standstill:
neither was she doing well nor was she deteriorating further. I had lots to ponder upon. But Astha’s terminal disease had made every other problem trivial. The loud ringtone of my phone brought me back into the current world.
“Hi, Papa. How are you?”
“How is Astha?” Papa asked. These days everyone who called had a common question, and I had the same answer to repeat .
“The fight is on, and the situation is under control.”
“Vijay, what is the score?”
“Score? I didn’t get you?”
“Remember, her seven wishes?”
“Yes, I do remember her seven crazy wishes, but why are you asking?” I was not at all concerned about her wishes. How to manage the expenses was the biggest challenge for me.
“Did you happen to read the latest publication of your college magazine?” His voice had an enthusiasm which was rare.
“No, I haven’t. What happened?”
“First have a look at that, and remember, everything is possible if we believe in it.” He disconnected the call mysteriously. It was an unusual call. First, he never had a habit of reading anything, second, where did he manage a subscription
copy of the magazine? Third, how can her crazy wishes be related to it? I had to find out.
I unlocked my messy house after six days. It was awful for me to see my house in that condition. Only a lady can turn a house into a home. When Astha was
here, it was a different place altogether. I found newspapers and magazines lying on the ground, unattended. There were two magazines the courier guy must have slipped under the door. I picked up both. One was the regular health magazine
and the second was the college’s annual publication.
“No, this is not possible!” I screamed.
I stared at my college magazine. I went numb, and it was unbelievable for me.
The front cover of my college magazine had a full picture of my wife. She looked young and beautiful. For a moment, I sympathized about her current
look. She had lost her beauty.
Questions teemed inside my head. Why did the college not display a photo of their recent event? How did they get her picture? Who had given them the permission to tell her story openly? Why did my college not inform me about this? Was it a trick played by the principal? How come Papa got to know about this first? What could be the motive behind this? How will Astha react when she comes to know? Was Astha already aware of this? Below Astha’s photo was a line in bold fonts which read:
A truly inspiring and eye-opening story of a pregnant HIV positive woman – Page-16

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Hi, I am Astha. I am an HIV patient. I thought I should tell my story to people. Just imagine, what comes to your mind when you hear about someone who is
infected with HIV? I am not generalizing everyone, but people think an AIDS patient is a sex worker or an immoral person. Before saying anything else or even formulating an opinion, I want you to read on:
In a school in Goa, thirteen orphans are suffering from AIDS. These students were expelled because other parents complained to school authorities. The parents also asked the school to expel the other twenty-three orphans although
they were not HIV-positive.
It was not just this school which showed them the door. After their expulsion, these students were moved to a boarding school run by Salesian priests in
Sulcorna, twelve kilometres away from Rivona. But after six days, this school too asked the child home to withdraw the children, saying they were facing problems from some parents Finally, these thirteen students were shifted to a school in North Goa. After facing flak from various organizations, the school decided not to expel the other
twenty-three orphans from their school . The children are aged between six to fifteen years.
Do you think all these kids are sex workers? Are we living in a society where Gandhi Ji taught us to hate the sin, not the sinner? Can anyone say these kids
are immoral?
• An estimated 33.4 million people worldwide were living with HIV (2008).
• Approximately 2.1 million children under fifteen were living with HIV (2007).
The day I was diagnosed positive for HIV, I wondered how I got the disease. My husband was the first one who came to know about my infection. My liver got infected, and the doctor suggested a full-time nurse at home. No nurse was ready to work for me. Even more surprising was that many doctors were not ready to treat me. In the hospital, I found that nurses refused to touch me. They wore face masks and gloves all the time while around me. They were always equipped with extra protection, especially when entering my room. Sometimes I felt like an untouchable. For the last six months, what we have
faced is even worse than being infected. AIDS is often seen as ‘someone else’s problem’. Even as it moves into the general population, the HIV epidemic is still misunderstood by Indians. People living with HIV have faced violent attacks, been rejected by families, spouses
and communities, been refused medical treatment, and even in some reported cases, denied the last rites after death. I am not a doctor, and I have no authority to teach anyone anything, but day I got to know about the infection, I went through many journals. After all, I am a
victim, and it’s my moral responsibility to give courage to all other people who are fighting physically, and mentally, against a disease that is not even their
fault.
Here are some lesser known reasons for HIV:
• Being born to an infected mother. HIV can be
• passed from mother to child during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding.
• Being stuck with an HIV-contaminated needle or a sharp object.
• Receiving blood transfusions, blood products, or organ/tissue transplants that are contaminated with HIV.
• Eating food that has been pre-chewed by an HIV-infected person. The contamination occurs when infected blood from a patient’s mouth mixes with food while chewing.
• Being bitten by a person with HIV. There is no risk of transmission if the skin is not broken.
• Contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and HIV- infected blood or blood-contaminated body fluids.
• Deep, open-mouth kissing if the person with HIV has sores or bleeding gums and blood is exchanged.
HIV is NOT spread by:
• Air or water
• Insects, including mosquitoes or ticks
• Saliva, tears, or sweat
• Casual contact, like shaking hands, hugging or sharing dishes/drinking
glasses
An AIDS patient goes through double the trauma. First, they have to prove themselves innocent. It’s something that they are unable to do in their lifetime; second, they have to fight the disease.
Let me tell you that my husband never asked about the source of my infection. He loves me. He was incapable of affording the best treatment, but he did not
leave any stone unturned and made it possible.
I am not telling you my story because I want sympathy. Today, I am confident in sharing the truth so openly because of the love I have received from my
husband and family. It doesn’t matter how deadly the disease is if you have people who love you, believe in you – it changes the battle completely. Imagine a society where AIDS patients are not sacked from offices. They are not thrown out of a rented home; they are not sacked from the school or any social community. People have no problem in hugging them or shaking hands with them. Every doctor and nurse is eager to help in their treatment. Doctors say that a stable AIDS patient can live like a normal person for more than ten to fifteen years, if well-cared for. A ten-year life filled with love cannot be compared to anything in this world, not even a hundred-year life. We can defeat every disease by finding the cure, and giving unmatched love.
Today I am pregnant, and I don’t know whether my child will or won’t be affected with this virus. Being a mother, I have a humble request. If he or she turns out to be an HIV patient, please do not treat him or her as an untouchable. My child will not be responsible for the disease. My child doesn’t want your
sympathy. He or she only deserves your love. There is no sin, and I am not a sinner. An AIDS patient is just a patient
                     -written and edited by
                               Sushme Sharma