JOIN USCovid-19: Senior citizen gives away bed for younger patient, passes away
This is a real-life story of an octogenarian that is touching and inspirational.
Narayan Dabhadkar, a resident of Wardha Road in Nagpur, set an example that exemplified the power of good.
The 85-year-old RSS worker, popularly known as Dabhadkar Kaka, gave up his bed in a civic-run hospital in Nagpur to someone who needed it more. And also gave his life – making the supreme sacrifice.
This comes at a time when India is reeling under the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and people are facing problems related to queues related to diagnostic tests and arrival of reports, struggling for hospital beds, Remdesivir injections and oxygen cylinders.
Dabhadkar's family is now in home quarantine at their Nagpur residence.
On April 21, Dabhadkar was taken to Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya (IGR) run by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) after his oxygen levels dropped.
His grandson-in-law took him to the hospital in an ambulance.
“Doctors examined him and X-ray reports showed that his lungs were badly affected,” said his daughter Asawari Kothiwan.
After he got a bed, he heard something amiss in the corridor – where people were arguing, fighting for a bed.
At that every moment, he made up his mind to give the bed to someone else.
“The formalities were done and he got the bed….he spoke to me over the phone and told me his decision…I told him that it took eight hours of struggle to get a bed. The doctors also counselled him,’ said Asawari as her voice choked with emotion.
“I am 85 now, have lived my life, you should offer the bed to his man instead, his children need him,” he told the doctors and his relatives.
An ambulance was called again and he returned home, where he passed away a couple of days later.
"We don't know who got the bed but my father showed the way and what selfless service is," said Asawari.