How God Guided Gayatri to Put Her Worst Foot Forward

[Guest guest]

How God Guided Gayatri to Put Her Worst Foot Forward

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driven

solely by the highest aspiration to serve in the hallowed premises of

Bhagavan Baba’s ashram, a young lady was willing to give it her all,

despite her crippling polio. All she prayed for was the special chance

and in the process, she discovered untapped inner powers, a healthcare

system that sought out the root of her disability, and which helped her

overcome her childhood malady.

 

 

Supporting herself on a stick that she had held across her frame,

Gayatri stood in the calming atmosphere near the Ganesha idol facing

the main entrance of Prasanthi Nilayam Ashram. Aarti to Lord

Ganesha was in progress. With eyes closed, her mind floated gently on

the soft strains of hymns and the wafting aroma of incense, as her soul

soaked in the serenity of the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gayatri

 

 

 

“Yesterday was a bad day.”

 

Gayatri’s mind raced back. Though polio had completely crippled her

right leg when she was three, and forced her to lead a dependent life,

she never flinched. Nor did she pray to God to give her back her leg.

Bearing her entire body weight on her healthy left leg and supporting

herself on a stick, she had fought on.

A Pure Desire to Serve

Her family used to attend bhajans of

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba in her neighbourhood, and that was her

first contact with Bhagavan. This was in the early nineties. She soon

realised that Baba was none other than God in flesh and blood. The one

desire she had was to go for seva, where she could serve as a volunteer at Prasanthi Nilayam, amid the Presence.

 

For her family, fulfilling her wish was not an easy task. The family of

six stayed in their small ancestral home in Gadwal town in the

Mahboobnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. Her father was a small time

contractor, not earning much. A chunk of the family income came from a

two room woman’s hostel that her mother ran in a part of their house.

She was the third of four daughters, and the most unassuming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gayatri with her mother and her sisters

 

 

From

the beginning, she knew that a sound grounding in academics was the

only way for her to a secure future. She strove hard. Known for her

academic brilliance, she finally graduated in Bachelor of Arts with an

astounding 80 per cent marks. Her parents and sisters never made her

feel that she was physically challenged, they helped her in every way

they could.

When she put forth her wish to go for seva

at Prasanthi Nilayam, her parents to make sure that they fulfilled her

wish, put together some money and sent her along with the other

volunteers from Mahboobnagar district in December 2006.

Hopes Dashed Due to Disability

But

the day she reached Prasanthi Nilayam, her only dream seemed to

crumble. Considering the difficulty she faced while walking, the

officials of the district seva dal, remained undecided on whether to

assign her a duty to perform as part of the seva or not.

As

a rule, a typical sevadal volunteer is expected to be on her feet most

of the time. Naturally, it was feared that Gayatri would find it

extremely difficult to cope with the duties.

At the possibility of losing the opportunity of performing seva in Bhagavan’s divine presence, she had cried the whole day.

Despair Drives Her to Pray for Strength in Both Feet

No wonder when she participated in the Ganesha aarthi

on that momentous day, for the first time in her life Gayatri then

asked Bhagavan to make her stand on her two feet, so that she too could

have the privilege to perform selfless service at His holy abode.

 

That night when sleep finally overtook her, she had a lovely dream.

Gayatri dreamt that Bhagavan in His ochre robe was standing right in

front of her. He then put His hand on Gayatri’s head and said, “Do not worry, I will take care of everything”. Walking away, He gave her a red rose.

 

 

 

That night when sleep finally overtook her, she had a lovely dream.

Gayatri dreamt that Bhagavan in His ochre robe was standing right in

front of her. He then put His hand on Gayatri’s head and said, “Do not

worry, I will take care of everything”. Walking away, He gave her a red

rose.

 

 

 

In the morning, Gayatri woke up bright and full of anticipation. Her

sadness alleviated and her large bright eyes shone forth, as her face

wore a curious smile. Somehow she felt the auspicious dream from

Bhagavan augured a very special event ahead…

 

It was still very early in the day and Gayatri’s eyes were closed, lost

in absorbing the tranquillity of the serene morning, even as the priest

of the Ganesh Temple was waving the camphor steadily in circles and

finally raising the fire high in the direction of the devotees marking

the conclusion of the morning rituals.

Waking Reality Confirms Dream Experience

 

 

 

 

 

 

The aarti

was over and Gayatri opened her eyes. From a distance she saw the

priest descending the steps of the temple and distributing flowers

offered to the Lord Ganesha to the assembled devotees. Suddenly, the

priest turned and walked up straight to Gayatri. Picking up a red rose

from the bunch of flowers in his hand, the priest handed the flower to

her. One look at the rose and Gayatri eyes opened wide.

“It

was exactly the rose, which Swami had given me in the dream. The

resemblance was unmistakable. I could not believe it was all really

true,” Gayatri said.

That night again Bhagavan came in Gayatri’s dream, again the reassurance, and another red rose. Again after the aarti,

the next day, the priest handed over the exact red rose, she had seen

in the dream. It was as if Bhagavan was saying, yesterday was no

coincidence.

First Encounter with Sai Medical Counselling Ushers Hope

 

That day, Gayatri’s uncle asked her to accompany him to the Sri Sathya

Sai General Hospital (SSSGH), in Puttaparthi. He wanted to find out

whether a prosthetic leg could somehow be fitted to Gayatri’s diseased

leg, so that she could walk again. The doctors at SSSGH taking a look

at Gayatri, told her that what she needed was surgery on the

incapacitated leg at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical

Sciences (SSSIHMS), Prasanthigram, which could bring back strength to

her lost right leg.

Both

Gayatri and her uncle were surprised, when told that everything, right

from the operation to the medicines, would be provided absolutely free

of cost. They were also told that none of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai

Baba’s Hospitals charged anything from the patients.

Information Echoes Dream Assurance

“The

words of Swami came back to me,” Gayatri said. “I will take care of

you, don’t worry,” He had said. “I felt certain that I would stand on

my two legs and will be able to come for seva,” said Gayatri exuding joy.

 

Gayatri is 21 but looks barely 15. Polio had inflicted Gayatri when she

was three years old. In her 13th year Gayatri’s family visited a

renowned hospital close to her home. The doctors who checked Gayatri

told her, there was little hope of her walking again. “We cannot do

anything. The limb is too deformed for us to do anything. She is too

weak, even if we perform the surgery, she will not be able to recover,”

were some of the answers Gayatri’s family had received. Those who did

not understand her pain, mocked her. Others who did understand, would

try and sympathise with her. Gayatri never let the insults demoralise

her or the sympathy soften her.

 

The visit to the Sri Sathya Sai General Hospital gave her new hope and

information about the super specialised healthcare available at the Sri

Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences. This time around, she

returned to her town, filled with both happiness and sadness. Happy

because she had now seen a new hope after years of a difficult life

with a handicap, but sad too as she could not have her much desired

opportunity to serve.

Face-to-face with God’s Surgeons

 

Early next year, on January 2, 2007, Gayatri entered SSSIHMS,

Prasanthigram for the first time. On the first day itself, all the

tests were done and the Head of Department, Orthopaedics, Dr. Kailash

Rao, gave Gayatri an operation date for July 4, 2007.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthi Nilayam

 

 

 

One of the surgeons who performed surgery on Gayatri said that due to

polio in her early childhood, Gayatri’s muscles had become paralysed.

The paralysis of the muscles had deformed the right leg down from the

waist. Gayatri’s condition was described as Anterior Poliomyelitis

Sequelae.

Thorough Diagnosis Traces Root of the Problem

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gayatri's hip joint was corrected by releasing the muscles that were twisting it out of place

 

 

 

According

to Dr. Kailash Rao, Gayatri’s hip had flexed and had turned away from

the body, while the knee was bent in. Gayatri’s right foot was pointing

out of the body. The muscle function was minimal and she used to

support her body on her left leg and used a stick for support.

 

The surgeons, then decided to first correct the hip joint and then

later correct the knee and the ankle. The first surgery was performed

on July 4, 2007. The muscles around the hip joint were released and the

hip joint corrected. According to the doctor treating Gayatri her

muscles after being released became stronger and better.

 

After the operation, Gayatri was put on traction so that the length of

the limb was corrected. She was also made to undergo physiotherapy for

a month to improve the functionality of her operated limb. The doctors

advised her to walk wearing callipers for six months. After six months

she was called for the second operation. In the second operation, her

knee and ankle were corrected.

Second Surgery Sets Stage for Miraculous Recovery

 

After the second operation was performed, to everyone’s surprise,

Gayatri started taking her first steps, taking support of a crutch

without even undergoing physiotherapy. “After the second operation, she

did not require any physiotherapy,” the Head of the Orthopaedics

Department said. Still, for adequate recovery and normal functioning of

the right limb, Gayatri was suggested to wear callipers for six months.

 

Gayatri who

had come for a check up in November 2008 is now able to stand on her

two feet and walk. Her steps are slow and she sometimes uses a crutch

for support. But doctors treating her have said that two months later

Gayatri would be able to walk freely without any support.

 

 

 

“The rate of her recovery has surprised us,” the doctors said. Though

such a recovery does occur in some cases, it is however pretty rare. We

have seen cases in which after the surgery is performed the patients

have to take the support of the callipers for the rest of their life.

But this was a unique case, in which the recovery was much greater than

we expected it to be.”

 

 

“The

rate of her recovery has surprised us,” the doctors said. Though such a

recovery does occur in some cases, it is however pretty rare. We have

seen cases in which after the surgery is performed the patients have to

take the support of the callipers for the rest of their life. But this

was a unique case, in which the recovery was much greater than we

expected it to be,” they said.

“But

for us it is the happiness that the patient reflects after recovery,

which is far more important,” said the Head of the Orthopaedics

Department, SSSIHMS, Prashanthigram.

Walking Towards God, One Small Step At a Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

For

her part Gayatri is ecstatic. Taking small and cautious steps,

sometimes taking support of her mother, she is slowly reclaiming what

polio had snatched from her in her childhood.

 

Though she is gradually coming to terms with the metamorphosis, what is

surprising her and giving her joy at the same time is the reaction of

her friends.

“Many

of my friends could not recognise me at all,” she chuckles. “They just

kept staring at me, as if I was a stranger, and I used to guffaw when I

saw their jaws drop in surprise,” Gayatri said. “I had phoned almost

all my friends and they came to congratulate me. That feeling was so

hard to describe.

“I had never prayed to Swami to grant me use of my leg. I had told him that I wanted to be able to perform seva at Prasanthi Nilayam. The moment I am able to walk on my feet freely, the first thing I would do is to come for seva,” Gayatri said.

“Swami

has given me a gift of a new life and it is my duty to do whatever

little I can do on my part to show my gratitude. First I will perform seva, everything else can wait,” she added.

 

This young lady’s astonishing experience is a sure testimony of the

divine grace that flows into our lives when our hearts and motivation

are set on the path of virtuous conduct. If our minds are directed by

purity of intent then there is no obstacle that can stand in our way as

we will find ourselves walking beside a God who is literally guiding

our every step.

 

~ Heart2Heart Team in association with SSSIHMS