Just about EVERYONE is born with……two eyes…two ears…one nose…one mouth…two hands and two legs!!! Yet, how many of us have actually spent even a single moment to thank the Almighty for these wonderful gifts He has given us ??? How we take things for granted….taking them as our birthright !!!

God works in His mysterious ways….and no one can question “why?” Fit and healthy people meet with some tragedy and lose their limbs…. get paralyzed…. lose their sense of sight or hearing or even go into a coma for years….It is only then that they realise …..too late….the true worth of those God given gifts :-(

I belong to the category of the above ;-) I was born perfectly normal……though during her labour…my mom’s gynaec thought that I would be a stillborn !!! No way……I was a hard nut…..and am now almost 57 ;-) and still alive and kicking !!! Well…..I am the fifth child in a family of seven children…and the fourth daughter…..( when I was born, it was definitely not an occasion to celebrate or get excited about :-( ) Nevertheless, I was well cared for and had a normal and happy childhood.

I was in the sixth standard…that was in the year 1963…… I was about eleven years old . My sister…the eldest among us….had come to visit us for the first time after her marriage…..she was suffering from kidney stones and ,in fact, was to undergo an operation during that visit. I was terrified of the word “operation ” taking for granted that it meant nothing but “an end to one’s life “!!! How I prayed for her !!! Well,we four sisters went to see a movie …..and throughout the movie I kept looking at my sister ….tears streaming down my cheeks…..with the thought that something drastic would happen to her (touch wood…..she is well and happy :-) )

The next day was Sunday….mum and Dad were resting after lunch and the four of us went over to a neighbour’s house to spend time with their children who were our close friends. We sat and chatted….my eldest sister was weaving a bag with plastic wires…..we were discussing the movie we had seen the previous day .I was sitting on the left of my sister….she took a pair of scissors to cut the wire…and as she was keeping the scissors….don’t ask me how this happened ….but…..the scissors went right into my right eye…OUCH !!!!!! She said…”sorry ” and I replied “That’s ok “….Little did I know what was in store for me :-(

I did not feel any immediate pain….just a little discomfort….I rubbed my eye….and I felt some stickiness….(vitreous humour ???) I told my sister ” something is flowing from my eye ” …everyone jumped into action…..we rushed back home…..called out to mom and dad…nobody thought it was serious….I was sent to the eye specialist with one of our staff members. We walked to the civil hospital ,which was close by….. but it being Sunday..there were no doctors on call. By then my eye had started bleeding ……We took a taxi and went to the doctor’s house.One look at my eye and the doctor immediately rushed me to the hospital ….I was wheeled into the operation theatre …..I did not have the faintest idea as to what was going on….I thought he would give me some first aid and pack me back home. I got a fright to see myself surrounded by nurses and the doctor…. now clad in his “greens”…..and all the “ooooooooh” and the “aaaaaa” and the “tch tch tch ” by the nurses ;-) I almost died on the Operation Table :-(

I had suffered a DEEP retinal injury ….I had stitches in the centre of my cornea ( oooof…sounds awful…doesn’t it??) sniff…sniff :-(

Well….after the operation both my eyes were bandaged and I was wheeled out of the OT only to hear murmurs of my parents and sisters…and I could sense that they were all sobbing !! Mom held my hand and comforted me…I told her “I want to go home “.She told me she would take me home the next day.

I was put into a private room….and I stayed in the hospital for one whole month…..The bandage was changed the next day and only one eye was bandaged after that …for that month.Visitors came and sympathised with mom…making her even more miserable….the magnanimity of the situation had not struck me…my little heart was only too glad to know that my sister’s operation had been postponed to a later date !! Whenever the doctor would change my bandage I would try to take a little peek-a-boo with the hurt eye…..bad news…..I could hardly see…everything seemed hazy :-(

I could gather, from snatches of conversations, when relatives and friends visited …..” poor thing….after all she is a girl….what will happen to her “….that I was probably going blind !!!! Why do people ,while sympathising, add to the miseries of people who are already suffering? Why can’t they,for a change,bring in some positive energy ??? My parents went through hell…..my sister felt very guilty and ,I feel,she has still not got over her guilt completely even to this day !

As for me, my half term examinations were to begin and that was what was my main concern…my school teachers visited me and told me not to worry about the exams. I asked the doctor if I could continue with my studies…he told me not to worry and that everything would be fine.

Hmmmmmmmmmm…….well…..I was discharged from the hospital after a month and came back home with loads of pills and eyedrops/ointments. I had to put on dark glasses for six months ,as a precaution against infections. I was permitted to join school three months after the injury…..on the condition that I wear my dark glasses to school. My eye didn’t look too bad…except that there was a white line in the centre of my cornea…where it had been stitched….sight??…….nope……no sight in that eye :-(

Inspite of everything…..never for a moment did I feel any regret …..never did I develop any complex .I was only too glad that I could get back to school. Dad took me to Bombay for further check ups….but…those days corneal transplants were unheard of. The doctors said that I could live a normal life with one eye.I could knit,stitch,study,watch movies etc. Dad’s concern was ,of course,beyond that !!!Who would marry his little girl when she grew up ?? I could sense his pain ,even at that tender age . Often I would tell him “Daddy,don’t worry ,I am fine and I shall live with you all my life.”

Well,life moved on….at times I did catch people making fun of me ….  I was  nicknamed “Pirate” and “Pearl  Eye”…but I just ignored them. I finished school ,went on to college and graduated with a major in English. I met my husband…..we fell head over heels in love….and after much resistance from both our families….we tied the knot. Not once,to this day,has my husband commented on my eye…..I have never been much to look at….and losing one eye has not helped either….. yet he has never missed any opportunity to compliment me …..isn’t it admirable?? My children,too, accepted me as I am…never have they felt any embarassment ….be it the Parent Teacher meet….any function in school …. or any social functions .In fact,once when I casually mentioned that I should go for corneal transplant….they said…”why bother mom….you look fine ” !That really made my day :-P

Later,I developed Glaucoma in the right eye…. We went to Madras and I got cryo surgery done….that further shrunk my eye :-( and even spoilt the shape of the eye…..well…..at least the good eye remained healthy….I wear glasses of -2.00 power .

I did my Teachers’ Training when both my sons were still in school .I got a job in the same school….and I continue to teach there to this day…and I LOVE my job !!! :-) I drive, I do loads of knitting, I read, I watch television , I love to cook, I practise Yoga and meditation….and last,but not the least,I have been pampered and spoilt rotten by my wonderful family :-) . They all treat me like a queen ;) . I have LOTS to be grateful for :-D . SOMEONE up there has surely been taking good care of me :-D ….(touch wood ) …and , if given the choice to live my life all over again….I would definitely opt to live it in exactly the same way !!! Thank You God :-P

At school…my little children innocently ask me “Miss, what happened to your eye?”….and in reply…I give them a full lesson as to why not to play with sharp objects !! ( I narrate the whole story to them…with a lot of drama :-P )

Well, I have always believed in the saying ” God has a plan for my life ,and that is all that matters to me ” .He has indeed been kind to me….I have a lovely family ….I have had a great life and have never ever pondered upon the loss of my eye .I have never felt different from any other human being . God gave me the sense not to develop any inferior complex ,so that helped in a big way.

So…..everyone out there….accept situations….know that God has a reason for everything that happens …He knows what is best for each one of us . Life is a precious gift …..make the most of it :-D Ciao !!!!!