One year ago, on Maha Shivaratri \u2014 March 8, 2024 \u2014 I had a brain stroke.
I was in Faridabad.
We were supposed to deck the hall for Maha Shivaratri celebrations.
I woke up at 4:30 am for my sadhana. Finished by 5:45 am.
Then walked into the kitchen for coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s when it happened.
Sudden. No warning.
No one was around.
I blacked out. Regained consciousness. Blacked out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was aware… but couldn\u2019t move or speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At 8 am, help arrived.
MG was called. She informed the others.
I was drifting \u2014 in and out of consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My sadhana<\/em> friends were the first to arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wanted to speak. I tried. I was rushed to the hospital. ICU.<\/strong> SR was moving cities but rushed back to Faridabad. SKs and the Sadhaks, SK and SR, JD and SC… When I woke up, I couldn\u2019t speak. The dominant emotion I felt? I have aphasia<\/strong> \u2014 a condition where a person struggles with language: speaking, understanding, reading, or writing. Doctors said my blood pressure wasn\u2019t excessive. The right side of my body was affected. I was discharged from the hospital on March 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friends<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I lucked out with my friends. JD and SC. I struck gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They wrapped me in a cloak of empathy, love, support, humour \u2014 I returned to Pune on March 31. Divine Grace \u2014 my Appa spoke about it many times. Back then, I laughed. If the stroke had happened at home in Pune \u2014 help would have come too late. Grace.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, one year later:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This year\u2019s Maha Shivaratri, I volunteered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m writing. I am fitter now \u2014 I walk 5 kilometers a day. And yes \u2014 I\u2019m still finding my words. #StrokeRecovery #Resilience #HealingJourney #WritingHeals #LifeAfterStroke #ConsciousLiving #COVIDVaccine<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One year ago, on Maha Shivaratri \u2014 March 8, 2024 \u2014 I had a brain stroke.I was in Faridabad.We were supposed to deck the hall for Maha Shivaratri celebrations.I woke up at 4:30 am for my sadhana. Finished by 5:45 am.Then walked…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-and-finally","category-diary"],"yoast_head":"\n
The words would form in my mind \u2014 and then evaporate before they could reach my lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KV looked stricken.
MS and RS were shocked.
I wanted to yell, “I am okay!” \u2014 but the words didn\u2019t come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two and a half days unconscious.
JD and SC \u2014 my brother and sister-in-law \u2014 and SK \u2014 waiting outside.
Later, I found out it had been “touch and go.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ABG stayed at the hospital until my brother arrived \u2014 missing Maha Shivaratri celebrations at the Sadhana Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I owe them my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only words I could say were:
“Yes.”
“Fuck.”
“Cookie.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amusement.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I could still understand<\/strong> and read<\/strong>, but not speak<\/strong> or write<\/strong> properly.
(And yes \u2014 I remembered my UPI password. Small victories.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They said the 3rd COVID vaccine might have triggered the stroke.
I don’t know why it happened.
But it did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It felt like my brain had short-circuited<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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SKs and the Sadhaks.
SK and SR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KS & SL. GD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and good old-fashioned kicks in the arse when needed. !<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Started speech and physical therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I used to laugh and say, “Luck.”
He would smile and retort, “Grace.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If it had happened in my bedroom or bathroom at the Sadhana Centre \u2014 even later.
But it happened in the Sadhana Centre kitchen \u2014 where help was near.
I reached the hospital super fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Healing.
Living.
Thriving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yoga keeps my body flexible.
Speech therapy was excellent \u2014 it gave me back my voice.
Cookie helped heal my heart.
And my sadhana continues \u2014 flowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sometimes the mind says “apple”…And the mouth says “kangaroo.” And I laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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