A Father’s Fight Against Fate To Save His Son | #ImpactStories

Imagine receiving the best and the worst news of your life on the same day.

December 4th, 2022. I still have nightmares about that fateful Sunday. The day my joy of seeing my precious son being born suddenly turned into the sorrow of not being able to hold him in my arms. My baby, who couldn’t even open his eyes, was immediately dealt with God’s cruelest fate, as his first day on Earth came dangerously close to being his last.

That day began unusually early when my pregnant wife, Pinki, woke me up in pain. I turned around and checked the time – past midnight. December 4th had just begun. There were still three weeks to go before the doctor’s due date, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. I was just grateful it was a Sunday so I could be there for the birth.

By the time we were on our way to the hospital, my wife’s soft whimpers of pain had escalated into screams. I comforted her as best as I could, but I couldn’t help contain my excitement - we were finally going to be parents.

Little did I know, this happiness would only be fleeting.

Also Read: How A Mother Defied The Odds For Her Newborn | #ImpactGuruSuccess

A Hopeful Father’s Dreams

As we arrived, my wife, Pinki was immediately escorted to the delivery room. It seemed like it wouldn’t be long now. I sat in the waiting area, keeping an eye out on the delivery room. Humming a happy tune, my mind flashed back to the day I found out Pinki was pregnant. 

I was so happy knowing we were going to have a child – our first child. I had already started planning the things I would do with my child – the games we would play, the places we would go, and the lessons I would teach. But most of all, my biggest dream was to give them a much better life than mine.

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Coming from a poor family, all I wanted was to ensure that my child wouldn’t go through the challenges I went through. Our pockets weren’t that full, but our hearts were. I was determined to give them the happy childhood they deserved.

The First Crack In The Glass

After a while, I couldn’t wait any longer. I walked up to the delivery room and paced around, excited but also nervous, straining to hear the sound of my baby’s first cry.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and two nurses ran out. Heart hammering, I burst into the room to see my wife quietly crying. I knew something was terribly, terribly wrong. There were a few doctors and nurses gathered around the other side of the room.

Sensing my presence, one of the doctors turned around and uttered the words that echo in my mind to this day – “Your son is not able to breathe, so we have to put him on a ventilator immediately. Please stay calm.”

I couldn’t believe him at first. All of my dreams were shattering right before my eyes and I couldn’t do anything about it.

I rushed to my wife and tried to comfort her, but to no avail. We watched as the nurses returned with tubes and an incubator. Our baby was hastily placed in the incubator and rushed to the NICU. We could barely get a glimpse of our newborn, let alone hold him.

The day I had dreamed about for so long had morphed into a nightmare.

Bracing For The Harsh Reality

I could see my wife was distraught, but no words had the power to give her hope. Telling her to rest, I made my way to the doctor’s office to learn what had happened to my son. The doctor greeted me with a weak, sympathetic smile. But I didn’t want sympathy. All I wanted were answers.

I just wanted to know when I would get to see my son, when I could hold him. The doctor informed me that, due to being born three weeks early, my son was in respiratory distress and had a very weak heartbeat. My son was fighting for each of his breaths, and I couldn’t do anything to protect him.

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Since he was in such critical condition, the doctor prescribed an extended stay in the NICU for the next few weeks. He warned me that the treatment cost would amount to lakhs. Never had I imagined that our financial situation would determine my son’s fate.

I was falling apart inside, but I had to stay strong for my wife’s sake.

The Power Of Determination

I returned to find that my wife had been shifted to a general ward. I explained the situation to her as best as I could, trying not to break down in front of her. Her eyes could see the pain in mine, realizing how grave the situation actually was.

Learning about the treatment costs, she grew extremely worried, knowing we didn’t have the means to provide our son with that level of care. But at that moment, I couldn’t see anything beyond my son’s well-being.

I would give my blood, sweat and tears to fight for my son, no matter what it took.

A Fight Against Fate

My wife was eventually discharged from the hospital. No one should ever know the feeling of returning from the hospital without their baby. I thought back to the moment when we were rushing to the hospital, which seemed like a lifetime ago. But I didn’t let myself forget that we still had a long journey ahead of us.

My heart filled with determination, I got to work immediately. I visited everyone – friends, relatives, and colleagues, borrowing as much money as I could for my son’s treatment. My wife sold every little piece of jewellery she had. I took loans, not paying attention to the high interest rates, seeing nothing beyond saving my son.

I firmly believed that the money lost would come back eventually, but my son’s life wouldn’t. I picked up extra shifts at my job thinking of my son and wondering when we could bring him back home again. I thought about our frequent NICU visits, where holding his little fingers through the glass would be the highlight of my day.

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The world outside had ceased to exist. All I could think about was bringing our son back home. Weeks turned into months, and while my son had shown some improvement, he still required more treatment.

ImpactGuru - A Helping Hand

It is said that in times of need, God sends his messiahs down to Earth for those in danger. That day, I truly believe a messiah was sent to us in the form of a madam from the hospital. On one of our visits to the NICU, she kindly introduced us to a way we could gather money – by raising funds.

This was the first time I had heard of such a practice. At this point, my hope had dwindled, but it refused to fade completely. So, accepting help from the kind lady, we started a fundraiser on ImpactGuru.

By God’s grace, support immediately poured in from hundreds of kind donors who donated money for my son’s treatment. Witnessing this power of compassion, I couldn’t believe that so many people, who I didn’t even know, would hear my story and be kind enough to extend a helping hand.

I was glued to the screen, watching for any updates on our campaign. The ImpactGuru team was especially helpful, patiently answering all my questions and offering words of encouragement and comfort during this adverse time.

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Due to the funds raised, I was able to provide my son with life-saving treatment on time. As we reached closer to our goal amount, my son’s health kept getting better. I could withdraw raised funds at any point when required, which helped a lot with my son’s treatment. I was so happy everything was falling into place, and it was only possible because of ImpactGuru’s support. 

I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, we were almost through to the other side.

Also Read: Mitansh’s Survival Story- Through The Lens of A Dad | #ImpactGuruSuccess

After these challenging months, my long-awaited dream finally came true. My son, who had only seen the four walls of the NICU ward since his birth, was coming back home with us. My happiness knew no bounds that day. 

I am not ashamed to admit this. I cried when I finally held my son for the first time like I had dreamed of for so long. I couldn’t believe our son was here, with his big, wide eyes staring up at me. I kissed his forehead, silently promising to be his protector for as long as I lived. 

I would never let anything touch my son ever again.

Looking Forward To The Future

My son is 2 years old now, at the peak of his health, and we couldn’t be happier. He is full of energy, running haywire around the house, making me and his mother run after him. Every Sunday, we play without a care in the world, screaming and laughing in delight. He makes me feel like a kid again.

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Looking forward to the future, I have learned to appreciate every single happy moment with my son, grateful to have a second chance at happiness.

Thanks to ImpactGuru, I can finally give my son the joyous childhood I always dreamed of.

[Disclaimer: This blog reflects the father’s sentiments, refined in collaboration with the author to convey his experience and emotions.]