Saraswathy kept hearing the puffing and hissing sounds at regular intervals. She was feeling really tired. Each breath, it seemed, took more effort than the previous one. She wanted to tell someone, but she could not speak. She could not even move her limbs. When she looked around, the whole surrounding felt alien to her. Everything smelt of antiseptic. Only then did she realize she was in a hospital ICU connected to a ventilator. But she could not remember why she was there.
Outside, in the ICU waiting room a confrontation was going on in between Saraswathy's sons. The elder one, Vinod, was the one who housed and looked after his mother. He was a retired businessman with children of his own and a wife who had several health problems. The younger one, Vikram, lived abroad with his family but was struggling to make ends meet. The argument was about their mother who lay confused inside the ICU. The doctors had just informed the sons about the fragile condition of their mother. She had fallen from the bed a few days back and had suffered a hip fracture. She had undergone surgery to repair the hip but due to pulmonary embolism had not been able to breathe on her own and hence been connected to the ventilator. The sons had listened in silence when the ICU physician had recounted her best chances of survival. There was a chance she could be weaned of the ventilator in a few days. But it was not a sure thing. Meanwhile the ICU bed was tearing a hole in Vinod's pocket. Each day in the ICU meant he was poorer by Rs.15000 and he could not afford that for long.
Vikram, who was more closer to his mother, felt helpless as he could not help monetarily but did not want the support systems to be switched off without being absolutely sure that nothing more could be done. He kept saying "Amma will not let go so easily. She is a fighter!", which only angered Vinod more. He loved his mother too but was not so sure about her chances. He had another problem. His wife was pressurizing him saying she could not look after his mother if she was bedridden. If she had to she might fall sick herself. Vinod was stuck between his mother and his wife.
Finally, after 3 sleepless nights and waiting and watching their mother's condition, Vinod and his wife won out. The support systems came off and Saraswathy gave up without a fight.
Vinod performed all her last rites without missing any detail. All their relatives were called for the wake and no expense was spared. The only person unhappy was Vikram who kept feeling that had this money been spent on her health, their mother might be alive now.
Do we have any right to take this decision? The doctors who are more informed and educated about our health than us hesitate to have the final say in this matter. How can we lay people pull the so called plug on our dear ones lives?
Outside, in the ICU waiting room a confrontation was going on in between Saraswathy's sons. The elder one, Vinod, was the one who housed and looked after his mother. He was a retired businessman with children of his own and a wife who had several health problems. The younger one, Vikram, lived abroad with his family but was struggling to make ends meet. The argument was about their mother who lay confused inside the ICU. The doctors had just informed the sons about the fragile condition of their mother. She had fallen from the bed a few days back and had suffered a hip fracture. She had undergone surgery to repair the hip but due to pulmonary embolism had not been able to breathe on her own and hence been connected to the ventilator. The sons had listened in silence when the ICU physician had recounted her best chances of survival. There was a chance she could be weaned of the ventilator in a few days. But it was not a sure thing. Meanwhile the ICU bed was tearing a hole in Vinod's pocket. Each day in the ICU meant he was poorer by Rs.15000 and he could not afford that for long.
Vikram, who was more closer to his mother, felt helpless as he could not help monetarily but did not want the support systems to be switched off without being absolutely sure that nothing more could be done. He kept saying "Amma will not let go so easily. She is a fighter!", which only angered Vinod more. He loved his mother too but was not so sure about her chances. He had another problem. His wife was pressurizing him saying she could not look after his mother if she was bedridden. If she had to she might fall sick herself. Vinod was stuck between his mother and his wife.
Finally, after 3 sleepless nights and waiting and watching their mother's condition, Vinod and his wife won out. The support systems came off and Saraswathy gave up without a fight.
Vinod performed all her last rites without missing any detail. All their relatives were called for the wake and no expense was spared. The only person unhappy was Vikram who kept feeling that had this money been spent on her health, their mother might be alive now.
Do we have any right to take this decision? The doctors who are more informed and educated about our health than us hesitate to have the final say in this matter. How can we lay people pull the so called plug on our dear ones lives?
