I wanted to share an incredibly personal and vulnerable story with you all today. In honor of father’s day, I wanted to highlight the impact that my father has had on my journey with this chronic illness. I distinctly remember my first few days after lying comatose in the hospital. My father was a jokester, someone who laughed at himself as well as somehow attempted to make everyone around him laugh as well. A few days following my diagnosis, he could barely muster a smile. He would turn away when the nurses came to give me my insulin shots. He hated watching me in pain.
One night after I was discharged, he spoke to my guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj on the phone. The words that were exchanged between the two most important individuals of my life brought solace to both of my parents. Since then, they became two individuals with the strongest of hearts.
I recall my trip to India prior to the start of medical school. I had travelled alone because my parents had stay back to continue my father’s chemotherapy schedule. Dad had prepared me for the encounters that were to come. There remains a stigma amongst those who are not aware of diabetes. Dad had told me at dinner the night before that some will say that you are “broken” or some will claim that God has wished that you “suffer” but he assured me that the resilience by which I was raised would not have been attained without the privilege I was given to endure and educate in regards to my diagnosis. He said something empowering that day that I have written down in my journal, something that has become a nidus for reflection. He said “Life happens for you and because of you; it does not happen to you.” Only today can I recognize that all he was trying to tell me was that if I could change my outlook, I could ultimately change my life.
Dad’s diagnosis changed the lives of all three of us: mom, dad, and myself. Dad and I bonded over the amount of insulin we took. We had competitions of who had better sugar levels. We compared what we ate and the toll it took on our bodies. More importantly, mom sat on the sidelines taking notes to make sure that she amended for whatever we needed to make sure that we were both staying healthy. I was fortunate. Every single change was made as a single unit. Growing up, I was taught early on in my life at my temple that unity means everything in a family. Trust me when I say this, any and every obstacle when it comes to chronic illness can be overcome with unity.
Today, I just want to be grateful. I am grateful for the parents I was blessed with. I am grateful for the faith I was instilled. I am grateful for the understanding I was given. Beyond everything else, I am grateful for the opportunity to face obstacles in my life that gave me purpose with who I want to be.
Keeks' Corner 