Large-hearted strangers save man's love

Subhash and Divya loved and married in 2001. Three years later, Divya was diagnosed as having heart problems that could prove fatal if not operated upon. With some difficulty, Subhash managed to admit Divya to the Sri Satya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSIHMS) at Whitefield in Bangalore. She had a free surgery, and was declared fit and fine.

Although the surgery cost little, the incidentals ate into the meagre savings of the couple. They managed somehow. Fate, however, would not be denied. It dealt another blow.
This July, Divya began having terrible headaches. Doctors diagnosed Divya with anaplastic astrocytome (brain tumour) grade III, a cancerous condition.

Subash was shattered when doctors said Divya could die if not subjected to radiation and chemotherapy immediately.

Mobilising Rs two lakh, the cost of the treatment, was beyond the reach of the sales executive at Kollam with a meagre monthly income of around Rs 5,000, and Subhash was in despair.

With medication having no effect on the headaches, Subhash took her back to SSIHMS where she had a free heart surgery.

“Doctors said my wife needed radiation therapy and chemotherapy, but those facilities were not available at SSIHMS. The whole world came down crashing when they said the treatment required nearly Rs two lakh,” he said.

“She is the only ray of hope and source of inspiration in my life. I can’t imagine life without her. We have been happily married for nine years. I considered all options to arrange for money, but nothing worked. Then I decided to sell one of my kidneys to save my wife,” Subash, sitting next to his wife at Kalappa Nursing Home on Double Road, told Deccan Herald.

He contacted Dr Sangamesh Halalli from Bidar and requested him to identify a person who could buy his kidney to pay for Divya’s treatment.

“I was shocked and didn’t know what to say. He could have contacted other doctors to donate his kidney. I thought for sometime and decided to contact my friends and others seeking help for Subhash,” Dr Sangamesh said.

He spoke to his brother Arun, a labour inspector, and his close friend, Kiran, a police sub-inspector from Mandya. They began contacting their friends.

Within days, 30 of their friends, including Rajashekhar, Sundar B, businessmen, Indu Pai, a teacher, and Jacob, a manager in a private firm, manged to arrange for  the money.
Indu Pai and her husband spent one day at Forum Mall and collected donations from customers, while Dr Sangamesh and Jacob contributed Rs 25,000 each. Kiran, Arun, Sundar, Rajashekhar and others contributed from their pockets besides collecting donations from their friends. Then they contacted Dr Shekhar Patil at Bangalore Institute of Oncology where Divya underwent treatment successfully.

“It’s going to be a new lease of life for both of us. My wife is fully recovered now. I’m grateful to all who helped and saved my wife’s life. I don’t know what more to say,” said Subash.