I Relay Because...

I am a 37-year-old woman from India, a mother of a 4-month-old baby, my firstborn. After the cesarean delivery on 27th November, last year, I suddenly fell sick with jaundice. Further test reports showed high bilirubin, and on the consecutive days, I went through more surgeries. The biopsies showed it was benign. The final surgery is left as of today. What I am getting at is, although I have been a caregiver for more than half of my life, seeing my family and loved ones losing the fight. The most frightening of all was to be pricked and poked and to lie on a hospital bed worrying about my baby and 76-year-old mother at home, alone. 

Each member of any family has a role to play. Mine needs me because I am the only backbone who needs to work. Like me, there must be many families, and that feeling of ultimatum is something I don't wish on my worst enemy. This year, I joined Relay, forming a new team and doing something for all interested residents. The events are curated such that the feel of community is developed. That we are all on the same boat going through the same storm, irrespective of the countries we live in.