“A few days ago, my mother, Shubhada, suffered a brain stroke - a sudden blockage of blood flow to her brain. One moment, she was fine, the next, she couldn’t move her left side or even speak. We rushed her to Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospital, Nagar Road, Pune, and that’s where our real battle began.

The doctors admitted her to the ICU immediately. What followed has been the hardest fight of her life.

On July 21, 2025, she slipped into unconsciousness for more than 48 hours. The stroke was in the mid-brain area, one of the most critical parts, and it affected both sides of her brain. Surgery wasn’t an option. 

For many days, she was on a ventilator, and her left side was completely paralysed. Even today, nearly a month later, she is still in the ICU under observation. She has opened her eyes, can move both hands and legs slightly, but she cannot swallow or speak. Nurses have to use a suction tube to clear her throat regularly so she doesn’t choke on her own spit. She is bedridden 24/7 and requires intense, round-the-clock care.

A brain stroke doesn’t just damage the brain. It paralyses dreams, routines, and simple joys.

Doctors have advised six months of intense physiotherapy, about 6 hours every day, along with medications and regular checkups. This treatment is crucial and urgent if she is ever to recover movement and regain some quality of life.

I’ve never seen my mother ask for anything. She was always the one giving. At 62, she still cooked daily, running a small tiffin service from home for bachelors in our neighbourhood in Charoda, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. Cooking wasn’t just work for her, it was her passion. She loved experimenting with new cuisines, sharing her recipes, and feeding people. Her dream was to turn this passion into her own business one day. Now, even eating food on her own feels like a faraway dream.

We are a small family of 4 - my father, my brother, my sister-in-law, and me. My father is retired. My brother is currently unemployed. I support the family as much as I can, but our savings have already been drained. We have spent more lakhs on her ICU care in just a few weeks, and the hospital had initially estimated another set of lakhs for 15 days. It’s already been 25 days, and costs are rising every single day. With 6 more months of physiotherapy ahead, the financial strain is beyond what we can carry.

This is a request from a daughter who just wants her mother back home, smiling, walking, and telling her old stories again.

Please stand with us in this fight. My mom, Shubhada’s life depends on it.” Kanchan (Daughter)

How to help:

• Donate: Click on the ‘Donate Now’ button to contribute towards Shubhada’s ICU stay and physiotherapy.
• Share: Share Shubhada’s story with your friends and family so more people can support her recovery.

काही दिवसांपूर्वी, माझी आई शुभदा हिला ब्रेन स्ट्रोक आला, तिच्या मेंदूला रक्तपुरवठा अचानक बंद पडला. एका क्षणी ती बरी झाली, दुसऱ्या क्षणी, तिला उजवी बाजू हलवता येत नव्हती किंवा बोलताही येत नव्हते. आम्ही तिला तातडीने पुणे येथील नगर रोड येथील सह्याद्री सुपर स्पेशालिटी हॉस्पिटलमध्ये नेले आणि तिथूनच आमची खरी लढाई सुरू झाली.

"डॉक्टरांनी आम्हाला सांगितले की तिला ताबडतोब आयसीयू (इंटेन्सिव्ह केअर युनिट) मध्ये दाखल करावे लागेल."

माझ्या आईची लढाई सोपी नाही. ब्रेन स्ट्रोकचा परिणाम फक्त मेंदूवर होत नाही, तर तो स्वप्नांना, दिनचर्येला आणि साध्या आनंदांनाही अर्धांगवायू करतो. तिला सतत काळजीची आवश्यकता असते आणि आयसीयूमध्ये राहणे खूप लांब आणि महाग असते.

"मी माझ्या आईला कधीही काहीही मागताना पाहिले नाही. आता तिचे आयुष्य इतरांच्या दयाळूपणावर अवलंबून आहे."

आम्ही एक लहान कुटुंब आहोत. माझे वडील निवृत्त आहेत आणि मी एक सामान्य नोकरी करतो. रुग्णालयात दाखल झाल्यानंतर पहिल्या काही दिवसांतच आम्ही आमची बचत संपवली आहे. पण आयसीयू काळजी अथक आहे. त्यासाठी आमच्याकडे नसलेल्या संसाधनांची आवश्यकता आहे.

ही एका मुलीची विनंती आहे जिला तिची आई घरी परत यावी, हसत राहावे, चालावे आणि तिच्या जुन्या गोष्टी पुन्हा सांगाव्यात असे वाटते.