It was on September 21, 2006, that third-year-commerce student Aarti Makwana (20) met with a car accident and slipped into a coma. She was then hospitalised at Jaslok and put on a life-support system.
Almost fifteen months later, Aarti was discharged on Thursday afternoon from the hospital, much to the joy of her mother Bharati and boyfriend Sunny Pawar (23).
Pawar has been standing rock-like by Aarti’s side all these months. Although Sunny and Aarti had met only 15 months before her accident, his love and affection towards her sounds stuff of a legend.
In the first four months that she was in the ICU, Sunny would spend every hour, everyday with her, refusing to go home even once. But even when Aarti was declared “not critical”, Sunny refused to leave her side.
Leaving his Dahisar home every morning at 11 am, Sunny would return home only by midnight. He would spend entire day nursing her.
From feeding her a small cup of milk for three hours to changing her clothes when she would soil herself, Sunny has completely given himself in at her service. So much so that he even left his Chartered Financial Analyst course halfway.
“With doctors having said that there’s gradual improvement in her, for us, it’s now like a half-glass-of-water situation which is half-empty or half-filled. We should take it the right way. We only hope she would be able to lead an independent life after her recovery. She hates to be dependent on others,” Sunny said as he came out of hospital with his love.
Aarti’s hospital expenses per day was around Rs 2,000. “Doctors have said that at home, her monthly expenditure would be Rs 40,000 (including diapers, medicines, supplements, milk, and nurse for 8 hours). Other than this, we will require another Rs 35,000 for her acupuncture treatment and physiotherapy for at least three months.”
Aarti doesn’t even recognise Sunny or her mother Bharati; she only returns a blank gaze and an occasional touch. “But that’s all right, because we have learnt to be patient. We only hope God brings back Aarti to normal, as soon as possible.”
IF YOU WANT TO HELP AARTI: Contact her mother Bharti Makwana on 9892811359 or Sunny on 9892856554
