2019 - The Year of Tragedy

2019 – The Year of Tragedy 

My name is Vanu. For ten years, I lived with my grandparents, but after building our own house, my parents and I moved to Thiruvalluvar. Every life carries its share of disasters, and 2019 became the year of tragedy in mine.

One morning, my mother said, “Vanu, it’s time to get ready for the skating match.” My brother and I prepared quickly and reached the ground by 6:47 a.m. My cousin Chinnu also competed and proudly secured first and second place. My father encouraged me, saying, “Vanu, if you win first place in two rounds, we’ll go to Queensland.” With determination, my brother and I gave our best, won medals, and returned home with joy in our hearts.

But the happiness didn’t last long. The very next morning, in 2019, a phone call shattered our world. My mother, on her way to work, had suddenly vomited blood. At first, I thought it was a dream, something unreal—but it wasn’t. It was the harsh truth. Despite my young age, I could sense the gravity of the situation. My father, grandmother, and I rushed her to the hospital.

I still remember my father sitting on an empty bench, his head buried in his hands, sweat rolling down his face. Fear filled his eyes. The doctors revealed that my mother’s left lung was badly infected, and surgery was immediately required. Tears filled my eyes, my hands trembled, and even my grandmother—usually a bold woman—broke down in tears.

The government hospital had no beds available, so we rushed her to Santosh Private Hospital. They demanded lakhs of rupees, and we somehow paid. My mother had already endured so much in her life—polio, two earlier operations, and a C-section during my birth. Yet she fought bravely again. After five painful months of treatment, she slowly recovered.

But tragedy wasn’t done with us yet. While my mother lay in the hospital, my grandfather at home fell and broke his leg. Suddenly, our family was torn between taking care of both him and my mother. The expenses mounted into lakhs, draining us emotionally and financially.

2019 was truly the year of tragedy in my life—a year that tested the strength of my family and left scars I can never forget