Life is cycle of ends and beginnings
2020
RK my beloved Father-in-Law was diagnosed with stage II Lymphoma. He battled hard for ten months, chemotherapy three times a week, multiple doctor visits, and maneuvered COVID numerous times. And in early October 2020, he improved dramatically, giving everyone around him hope and inspiration. Then, shockingly in November 2020, in under 24 hrs., RK went from being healthy to having oxygen desaturation below 80%, and just like that, his life ended. My wife(S) and I couldn’t say a proper goodbye to him. He left us all in tears.
2021
2021 was a rollercoaster of emotions for us. Our 1st daughter(A) got accepted to the college of her choice; we were elated. Then my dad had his second heart attack; we were frightened. Then, my mom contracted COVID; we were terrified. Then, my entire management chain changed, creating instability at work; we were worried. Our 2nd daughter(M) got selected for Level 3 competitive gymnastics; we were proud.
S had not had enough time to grieve her dad’s demise, and in July, her difficulties started. She had her cycles too frequently. When Doctors checked for cysts, they came out negative. Given her age and family history, the thought was, she was having an early onset of menopause. Her Doctor wanted to check if her hormones were fluctuating. They did identify that her Prolactin levels were too high. She went on medication, Cabergoline, a Prolactin inhibitor.
August 2021 A, who just turned 18, leaves for New York; we are excited and scared. We go to drop her off. S now misses her first cycle. Her Doctor wanted to check if she was anemic, and it turned out that her iron levels were too low. So the doctors prescribed an iron supplement. Unfortunately, we realized that the medication was not strong enough a few months later. By this time, S had missed three cycles in a row. The Doctor prescribed a more substantial iron infusion, and we hoped that this would help make her cycles regular. Unfortunately, since Delta and Omicron variants were running wild, we decided to start the infusion in 2022. We closed the year with a lovely vacation in Palm Springs with friends.
Clearly, it felt like we were on an emotional roulette, and someone was playing dice.
2022
We wanted my mother-in-law to visit and spend time with us. We tried to distract her from her grief. Her original travel plan was scheduled for November 2021 to coincide with our Vacation. Unfortunately, her travel plans got delayed multiple times, and it looked like she would be arriving in February. We planned to start S’s iron infusion to align with her mom’s arrival. We expected some side effects and hoped that her mom being here would help. S began her iron infusion in February.
Week of March 15
A was here for Spring break. March 16 was S’s final Iron infusion, and we decided to spend some quality time after that. We plan for a picnic in SF on the 18th.
March 17, 2022
11 PM: S has pain in her abdomen. She believes her cycle is going to start, and it’s cramping. We are finally relieved. But by midnight, her pain is unbearable; we decide to go to the emergency to get some strong pain killers.
March 18, 2022
1:15 AM: S is in the emergency room; I am sitting outside looking to identify the right parking spot in SF for our picnic. The duty nurse calls me inside, saying the Doctor wants to talk to me.
1:25 AM: 4 nurses encircle S, and the duty doctor performs an ultrasound.
Your wife has fibroids, but did you know that she was pregnant?
Pregnant!! How far along?
The Doctor shows me the ultrasound.
She has a fully grown fetus inside. She is in labor!!
S and I looked at each other in shock. Swiftly S was transferred to the delivery unit. We had six doctors and nurses waiting for S and soon-to-be-delivered Baby when we arrived there. The clock said 2:05 AM.
2:23 AM: 18 Minutes later, on March 18, 2022, at precisely 2:23 AM, S gave birth to our 3rd child.
It’s a Boy!!
At that moment, I looked at S; our life had changed. We had a child in our hands who had been in control of his destiny for months. It looked like he has arrived with unwavering purpose. Determination in his eyes reminded us of RK. We named him TK.
T’s name means “In a Moment” in our native language and his middle name is K.
It’s unbelievable that TK picked up where RK left off. He has low oxygen saturation, a high red blood cell count, and Omphalocele. However, he is getting better and stronger. S and I hope, believe and know in our hearts that TK is the reincarnation of RK.
We could never say a proper goodbye to RK; we welcome TK one year later.
We must accept the end of something in order to begin something new
