Exactly 57 days ago, on December 25, Monisha was brought to MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital after she survived an alleged murder attempt by her mother. She had a deep strangulation mark around her neck. Exhausted and traumatised by the event, Monisha slipped into coma.
On Wednesday, her last day at hospital, five-year-old looked cheerful, and had a faint smile on her face as she shyly posed for the camera with a flower in her hand.
Monisha was discharged at 6.40 pm on Wednesday, and her grandparents took her to her aunt Shobha Jagadish’s house in Gayathri Nagar. Her caretakers were advised not to take her back to her parents’ house as she would be traumatised by the memory of the tragic events. Her parents reportedly committed suicide after her mother allegedly tried to kill Monisha.
“The moment we told her that we are taking her home she started smiling,” said Monisha’s grandmother Savitriamma.  “We’ve been through enough in the last two months, and are glad to go home,” she added. A home nurse has been hired to take care of Monisha. Her relatives and well-wishers queued up outside room no 517 to check on her since Tuesday.
Making progress
“Whether Monisha will regain complete normalcy, only time will tell, as her brain has suffered an injury,” said Dr Karunakara BP, Associate Professor, Pediatrics, MS Ramaiah Memorial Hospital. Her recovery however, is encouraging as she has made significant progress in every aspect she was treated for.
Monisha had lapsed into coma for two weeks, 24 hours after she was brought to the hospital. She had convulsions, and one such episode took 33 hours to be brought under control. She hasn't had any for the last three weeks now. Monisha has been receiving psychiatric counselling for the last 15 days.
“While she has made quite a recovery, she still has movement abnormalities such as trembling of hands,” said Dr Karunakara. “But three of the CT scans have shown there has been an injury to her brain, so we have to wait and watch her recovery.”
Monisha is still on mainly liquid and semi-solid diet, fed through a nasogastric tube. But she is eating chocolates and fruits on her own, said the doctor.
“She is moving her hands and legs, identifying her family and hospital staff and even expressing herself - which has been a big change,” added her grandmother.