For someone who is active and constantly up to something, it was a bit of a shocker when my father was recently diagnosed with a heart problem. He had been feeling a tad uncomfortable lately during his evening walks and his ECG tests showed that he needed to be put under immediate observation.

So, there he was at the ICU in Bethany Hospital in Thane, puzzled to bits because he really had no clue what was happening. Through all his 82 years, he had seldom visited a doctor and this sudden break in routine was disconcerting. As my brother and I took shifts during this three-day vigil, the whole definition of life took on a new meaning.

It was during these nights at a room earmarked for relatives of patients in the ICU that I met other people who were also waiting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. We chatted in the dark while converting chairs into makeshift beds for the night. It was here that we swapped stories and derived strength and comfort from each other.

From one young lady, I learnt why bread and biscuits were best avoided as also sugar and flour. She told me how steering clear of this lethal quartet had helped her lose weight in no time. For someone like me for whom biscuits have been a weakness since time immemorial, it was a timely wakeup call.

I also heard her own stories of coping with bereavement and understood that life was eventually a journey where we eventually need to get off at some point. Sure, this was something I was only too aware of and remembered the times I had comforted friends who lost their near and dear ones. Yet, it is different when you are coping with a crisis and the wait seems so much longer.

And then there was this gentleman whose father was also in the ICU with a heart-related condition. As we chatted, I felt a lot stronger and realised that I did not need to wallow in self-despair. After all, the cardiologist knew his job and we could only hope for the best.

The wait at Bethany also gave me a ringside view of those astonishing nurses from Kerala and their untiring efforts to keep patients in good cheer. Here were these young women attending to every need of my father with a smile. They ensured that he took his medicines on time and soon, he was asking ask them about their own lives and challenges.

I wondered where these women derived the impetus to constantly stay cheerful while dealing with patients. Beyond the confines of the hospital, they led tough lives and often roomed together to pool in their overheads. Here, many hundreds of miles away from their homes in Kerala, they were catering to complete strangers without a fuss.

As luck would have it, my father recovered well after a heart procedure at Jupiter Hospital. While the entire incident was a reminder of this unpredictable journey called life, the bigger takeaway was building bonds with strangers who I believe are now friends for life.

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