“Vasu, please hurry to the hospital. The
blood bank wants six units of blood that your grandpa would need for his heart surgery.
There was a call last evening. Find out whether any of your friends are willing
to donate. I will be going to hospital after the chores in the house. Do not
wait for me” his mother was loudly telling from the kitchen
Vasu knew she was very much tensed about
her dad’s health. Grandpa was staying with them after grandma’s demise a few
years back. A disciplinarian with traditional values grandpa was generally
critical of Vasu’s carefree and leisurely ways. There were constant clashes
when mom would intervene and tell her dad to leave Vasu alone. Vasu generally kept
away from grandpa..
When Vasu reached the grandpa’s cabin,
he saw his uncle talking to the chief cardiologist. He waited till the doctor
left. It transpired that on second thoughts the doctor would not recommend
surgery keeping in mind some new development in his
health and would instead try medication for some months.
His uncle told Vasu “I do not see the
need for blood. You may go to blood bank and cancel your appointment for their
drawing your blood. You may come here thereafter and relieve me so I could go
home.”
When Vasu went to the blood bank and had
the appointment cancelled, he saw an old woman in conversation with the nurse in
charge. She did not look affluent and appeared drawn from lower middle class.
The nurse said “Your husband would need minimum eight units of blood. His blood
group is also not the common variety. Kindly arrange to bring some donors of any blood group.
Otherwise you may have to buy the blood and this may be costlier than others.”’
"I have only a daughter who herself is
not well off. I do not know anyone who would be willing to give blood. I asked
some of my neighbours but they are reluctant..I do not have much money to buy. I
really do not know where to go for help” she started sobbing.
Vasu who had never experienced any
difficulty in life was moved at the pitiable plight of the old woman. He went
on an impulse to her and said “Patti (grandma), do not worry. I will give my
blood right now. I came to give my blood for my grandpa. What if, if the blood
is not for him but for another grandpa?”
He asked the nurse to draw the blood. To
her surprise Vasu’s blood group matched the old man’s unusual group. After the
formalities and blood was drawn he took leave of them. He rushed to his uncle
but did not tell him why he was held up.
The story did not end there. The next
day the same elderly nurse at the blood bank was surprised to see in the
morning Vasu standing before her with seven friends of his and asking her to
draw blood from them on the account of the old woman for whom he had given blood
the previous day. All the youngsters in fine health were beaming with smile at
the new experience of donating their blood.
She said” I have seen people bringing
relatives and friends to donate blood for their patients. This is the first
time I see a young man bringing with him a gang of his friends to give blood
for someone whom he does not know, whom he has not seen and whom he may not meet.
I am so happy with you. Your mom is indeed blessed to have a son like you. I
will tell the old woman when she comes here. You have wiped the tears off her
eyes.”
"The purpose of life is not to be happy:
but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference
that you have lived at all" Leo Rosten
.
