DR. Sumana, AYUSH Medical officer
In autumn 1985 I was just 14 & the age of dancing bouncing & the haunting of joy. Since I completed classical Bharatanatya junior, was giving stage performances & participating in my favorite games. But those moments did not stand much longer in my life. A dog bite & the A.R.V. Injection which I took as per our local doctor’s advice took an ‘U’ turn in my life. I was the victim of rare case of A.R.V. Injection reaction. After 3 days of sufferings from severe head ache fever and back ache no local doctors able to diagnose what it might be, when I lost complete sensation and movement of legs they referred my case to NIMHANS Bangalore. But as we reached there, they told ‘’SORRY it’s too LATE. If you have had come earlier there would be a chance to save her leg’s power”.
They diagnosed as UPPER MOTOR NEURON LESSION due to A.R.V. injection reaction in which there will be loss of sensation and power from trunk and below region. After severe agony, pain, helplessness & 6 months of hospitalization, doctors did not give any assurance of hope.
My mother brought me back to our home town Tarikere Chickmagalore dist. After series of medical treatments and sufferings from their adverse side effect, I was barely able to move one toe of my leg. I just became bedridden and completely dependent. Like any other mother my mom also desperately searched, it was not the period of mobile internet / even T.V. was the new comer. There was no hope from anywhere. But the efforts of my father T.B. Manjunath and my mother Smt. Shyamala Manjunath was memorable and immeasurable. She was very much unaware of Bangalore and English, but her motherhood scrambled for each victim desperately. Called everybody for help, whatever treatment taking, was not fetching fruits. But it did not deter my mom.
Continues effort of her lead me to Mysore Govt. Ayurveda hospital Dr. Anjaneya murthy BAMS , MD at present working as a professor in kalabhaireshwara Ayurveda hospital Bangalore. He came in to our life as A God & took my case as challenge. After 1 year long treatment of message therapy, physiotherapy and medication but not the least mother’s dedication I could barely able to walk with one stick.
Apart from all these I did not forget studies and also not lost my will power which was the only strong power I had. After 2 years of hospitalization I joined 10th std. Now my real struggle in front of the world started. I had to maintain my health condition & inconsistency of bowl problems. Even after all these disturbance’s, I completed 10th std. in 1st class. I was overwhelmed with the tears when principal himself came down from the stage to felicitate me in school function.
As I was thinking what next? one sentence changed my life journey “Why & who should weep for a person who dies everyday” that time only I decided I should not be like that. I should wipe out others weep. Also I had regards to show Ayurveda from which I got second life. So I took Science in PUC and completed it along with the treatment side by side.
After completion I joined the same government Ayurveda College Mysore, where I was joined as a patient just 4 years back. There at Mysore, 6 years of hostel life without mother’s support was really big challenge for me, had to pass through many more intervening hurdles in attaining up stair classes, practicals, clinical, missing of educational tours. But my mother’s courageous support & my determination to become a doctor, didn’t let me down after securing BAMS degree, I was too proud to get selected as a medical officer in AYUSH DEPT. Under general category vis-à-vis handicap category. As there was no reservation for disables.
After that I got married to lokesh and I was conceived against the warnings of many people and doctors. But my urge to get child I took risk. Now I am a proud mother of 14 year son. Now I with my husband and my son Samarth are happily!!! Residing in our own built Saamarthya. I drive to my working place in a hand operated car to treat the humble patients.
My condition is itself is a plus point for me in treating patients, as I can understand their pain better than any other and I forget my pain by treating and curing their pain. Singing, drawing & writing poems are also other pain killers at hospital. I council women deals with them psychologically, as I know 70% of diseases will be due to mental disturbances only. Helps to de-addict there family members. Creates awareness about animals and nature in guest speeches. As a fitting reward now I am the president of Dist. Ayush women’s commission.
Still everything is not fine, many bones, ligaments & muscles weep every day fracture are many occasion but that has not let me down my ambition to serve the society which has made me Dr. Sumana. Still I need daily medication, physiotherapy & oil massage, my body strength is only 50% but my mental strength is more than 100%. I owe much to cooperative colleagues at working place, caring husband and son at house, mom and dad many more relatives and friends.
– DR. Sumana,
Contact
Email : lokeshkumarnew2014@gmail.com
Phone: 09740664396
A true human being….a winner in life….she overcame all her miseries & serving the needy even though she herself is a disabled….sorry to call her as “disabled”….her life made us to ask ourselves the million dollar question —– does our lives makes any sense????