JOIN USA son-in-law’s sacrifice
It was early morning when the phone rang. My father, who was always an early-riser, rushed to answer the phone. It was our brother-in-law’s call from Kolkata. Before my father could enquire about the reason behind this early call, our brother-in-law said something which we were not prepared for. My father was somewhat shaken by a visceral shudder that left his mind blank.
A shadow crossed over his face after he put down the receiver. Both the kidneys of our 43-year-old elder sister had failed. She had been ailing for quite some time. He gave the news to my mother with a degree of trepidation. Among us, three siblings, my sister was the eldest one, and the cynosure of our mother’s eyes. Upon hearing this news, she felt icy despair gripping her heart.
Sister’s health, meanwhile, remained a matter of concern. Our brother-in-law would regularly bring her to Delhi for dialysis. The stress of going through this process every month was beginning to wear her down. Despite her mental resilience, she was slowly reaching a point of emotional exhaustion. Her patience had started wearing thin, but she would keep assuring the mother that nothing would happen to her.
The doctor advised my brother-in-law to go for a kidney replacement as early as possible. He left no stone unturned to look for a kidney donor, but without any success. My parents were growing extremely edgy as time was ticking away. With tears coursing down her cheeks, mother turned to me. “Could you donate one of your kidneys to your sister?” Before I could express my willingness, our brother-in-law advised us not to work ourselves up into a panic over this issue. “I have decided to donate one of my kidneys, come what may,’’ he said.
After the transplant, our sister seemed better than she had been in a long time. A halo of happiness descended upon mother’s face. After a year, our sister started complaining of unbearable stomach pain. Much to our shock and dismay, we learnt that the doctors wanted the transplanted kidney to be taken out as soon as possible. Her body was refusing to accept it. The doctors gave her a slim chance of survival.
One morning, my nephew informed us of the death of our sister. Her untimely demise left my mother emotionally devastated. Suppressed grief left its stamp of sadness upon father’s face. However, our parents remain indebted to their son-in-law even today, for sparing a kidney to save the life of their daughter — his wife. He turned out to be more like a son than a mere son-in-law.