Report of 26 March '08

Hello from the B -

We are well. My patient who was not eating, Ms. M, was sent to the hospital for evaluation and returned better. The nurse and social workers were all elated that Ms. M was now eating - she ate chicken biryani, which is a special treat. I was guardedly optimistic, and now she is not eating again. The hospital evaluation has produced no reason for her anorexia, and I am very concerned. She is wasting away in front of my eyes, and this is frustrating.

The other day, one of the older patients threw her arms around me and kissed me on the cheek. It was a very western thing to do and I was taken aback. Ms. C is a sweet lady, given to non-stop chatter, and is in the sick room because she has a wound on her heel. We are treating it. She has asked repeatedly to see her son; the son has not left his contact information. Our social workers are adept at going with the patients and seeking out their homes with the help of weird landmarks, local routes, etc., and I requested that they attempt to locate this lady's son. Having 2 children myself, I know that a sight of one's kids can make any day brighter, esp if there has been a long absence. What can I say about those that cannot take care of their own, for whatever reason: let me not judge this man until I have walked for a moon in his mocassins.

Scott and I went to Madurai and attended a friend's granddaughter's engagement ceremony. Leila Kurien is the mother of one of my school friends, and the grandmother of the bride-to-be, Nisha. Mrs. Kurien is an absolutely inspirational and lovely woman, and I ensure I see her every time I go to Madurai as she is mighty therapeutic for my spirit. As I watched Nisha smile and greet everyone, I thought to myself that this was why Indians revere blessings from others: I did want Nisha's smile to stay on for a long, long time. When people, esp my impoverished patients, bless my sons with a long life, I do know that this is what *I* would want - so they are really blessing me, are they not.

It was also nice to spend time with my parents. They are getting hard of hearing, so a fair amount of bellowing had to be done; however, their sense of humor and massive grace and unselfish hospitality stay unchanged, so a very fun time was had by all. Scott's presence was a particular treat for all of us: he has a great sense of humor himself, and a most gentle regard for my parents, so they adore him. It was my privilege also to speak at my alma mater, Lady Doak College; the head of the department of Commerce (my undergrad major), Ms. Nagammai, a beloved and respected figure, asked me to and I was happy to accept. Ms. N said they were facing several discipline issues from today's teenagers, and she wanted them to be exposed to another influence. I was also a first-class pain as a teenager, and know now that these energies can be channelled to great benefit. So I spoke of the Banyan, and got many questions and offers to help later. It was lovely.

I am looking forward to salads and movies, and chilling out in a culture that is good and warm, with friends who are so, too. I am also looking forward to Europe; our kind friend, Andrea Schichan, has sent the documents for my visa and I will know in 1-2 days if I have got it or not. So, the prospect of trying out European salads is also exciting. Life is full of good things, really - knock on wood.

Unw -

R

Report of 19 March '08

She has died. Wracked by TB (tuberculosis), one lung completely wiped out and the other lung barely able to hold on with pneumonia. On the plus side, she was not out on the street, miserable, in pain and suffocating (I have heard from asthmatics that this is a horrendously frightening sensation), but loved and cared for, and with the Banyan family near her.

We are losing too many people to TB. By the time these folks come to us from the street, many are affected, and have not been treated. Sometimes, we cannot treat because the liver is already damaged and the TB meds damage it further (as with our patient above); then we are truly in a quandary. If we can catch the disease early, we stand a chance.

Naren turned 17 last week. He elected not to have a party, but tthe day with us and that was great. We gave him "The Godfather" trilogy, and we went out to eat at a lovely restaurant with sumptuous non-Indian food, then spent the rest of the day watching the flicks. There were tons of interruptions with Naren's friends from far and wide phoning to wish him, and that was ok, because it reflected what his friends think of him.

Work is good and getting busier. We are also gearing up for our Europe trip. We still need a contact in Brussels with floor space for 1 night on 9 April; if anyone can help, please let us know.

Our best to you, may you be healthy and never know TB -

R

Report of 12 March '08

Hello from the B -

One of our patients, Ms. I, a longstanding resident of the B (file number 5 and we have handled 1500+ patients), is dying in the hospital. She is young (late 20's or early 30's) and it is tremendously frustrating to just watch this process. We think the lung failure is due to tuberculosis, and now her liver is failing, too, so no anti-TB meds can be started. Not that they'd help at this point.

I like living here, and don't often miss the U.S., but I do when it comes to the "Treat all patients like they're patients, not loaded wallets" philosophy of the U.S. I think Ms. I had TB before and now it's reactivated, with somewhat catastrophic consequences. One of the things about the B is that other things consume us so much (fundraising, advocacy for the rights of the mentally ill) that the medical side gets forgotten. I attempt to remedy this situation, with varying degrees of success.

Life is otherwise alright, not much else to report. The family's well, thank goodness. We got outstanding reports from Navin's teachers, who, to a person, said he was only going to work if he got motivated to do so, and becoming head boy appears to have motivated him a bit. It was not time for Naren's feedback yet, but he appears to be enjoying school and that's good. We sent a box of laddus (Indian sweets) to Navin's teachers for accomplishing the impossible with the boy; I think all teachers ought to get their salaries doubled annually.

We are looking forward to our trip.

Unw -

R

Report of 5 March '08

Hello from the Banyan -

I am sitting here in my mother's sari and trying to get some work done. It freaks people out when I wear a sari, as I don't usually. But I like wearing it: I carry myself differently when I wear one, and it is a graceful, feminine and forgiving outfit (conceals many flaws). I also like most of my mother's saris.

Life is ok. Scott and his colleague are planning to start a program called LEAN at the B, to minimise waste. We look forward to it.

Our patients are well. Ms. M is still in the hospital and we are worried about her. The doctor there called and gave me an update today, and said she had a urine infection, which he treated. I asked if he knew why she wasn't eating (was "anorexic"), and he said he'd investigate that. Some of our other patients who had been hospitalised, including Ms. V, came back and I was delighted to see them. Ms. V had had post-menopausal bleeding, which is very suspicious for cancer, and was in the hospital to get her uterus removed - a "hysterectomy." She is normally a cantankerous, foul-mouthed person, but she apparently behaved at the hospital, to everyone's great relief.

The B's fundraiser part 2 happened last Saturday. Ravi Shankar and his daughter, Anoushka, played. I don't like RS's morals (or lack of) - he fathered Norah Jones and apparently she does not acknowledge his existence for various reasons - but his sitar-playing was masterful. And Anoushka was cute, and played well, too. There were a couple of Indian celebrities there whom Navin wanted to meet, and I took him and introduced him, which made him happy. Then he fell asleep during the concert. Naren enjoyed the father-daughter relationship on stage, and I have booked him for whenever he becomes a famous performer himself; I have asked that he perform for the Banyan for free and he has agreed.

We are headed to Europe and the U.S. next month. I am very excited about this, because this is Scott's first trip stateside with the family in a while, and it'll be good for all his family in the U.S., and himself, to have this time. My friend, Ruth Ranalletta, herself the mother of 2 young men, appreciates my effort in hauling the 3 Weiss men to see the Weiss side; very sweet, I thought. Scott's family is their usual cool self - not gushing, but not saying "Don't come" either. There's a lot to be said for the latter. We will have a good time with their rambunctious selves once we get there, and we will manage to catch a cousin's wedding, too. By the way, all Europe contacts are welcome, as we are looking for inexpensive places to stay :).

We saw my sister Anu and her husband, Benji; my brother Vinu and family; and my nephew, Sudhir, at a pizza evening last week. It was lovely, just lovely, to be with everyone. My little niece, Ahana, kept all her older male cousins mighty entertained and bossed-about.

Unw -

R