🙏 Farewell Ma (Dr Monisha Choudhury)

When I first started this blog, I had no inkling Ma (Dr Monisha Choudhury) would leave us so soon. Her razor sharp recollection, memories of details and linking one situation to another, provided rich commentary to the blog posts here till now. It is impossible to believe she will no longer add her own additions to every story told. 

Rest in peace Ma 🙏😔

On Apr 21, 2021, she tested positive for covid. Starting with mild symptoms, she developed a persistent cough and weakness. Back in Dec 2014, she had fought swine flu with 3 weeks on ventilator and came back with a vengeance! Discharged in the second week of Jan, she immediately planned and executed her grandson Ashwin’s mukhe-bhaat by end of the month! Despite losing her beloved husband to cancer in Sep 2015, she persevered, becoming the President of the Indian Academy of Cytologists and presenting his rare case of cancer to an international audience in Yokohama, within months. With a history of resilience and fighting spirit, we all teetered on the edge of hope, despite her co-morbidities. 

She always said she wanted to work till her dying day, and her wish came true. Retiring from government service in Jan 2018, she immediately joined Sharda University the next month, till the Covid lockdown in 2020. 

At her LHMC Farewell dinner at BBQ Nation, Noida on Feb 10, 2018, with her farewell gift watch. 


LHMC Farewell Department photograph

After an year of lockdown, she got her first vaccine shot and joined Noida Institute of Medical Sciences in March 2021. So happy to be back in the teaching chair, she was taking vivas and correcting answer sheets as an external examiner to LHMC even on the day she was hospitalised!

(Covid Vaccine first day first dose, Mar 01, 2021/ Covishield)

(NIMS, HOD Pathology, Mar 03 2021)

She tested positive for Covid on April 21, 2021; just as the deadly second wave hit India and collapsed the health infrastructure. Despite starting with mild symptoms, she developed a persistent cough. With co-morbidities of diabetes, hypertension and renal impairment; along with past history of ventilator in swine flu, we took no chances and got her admitted at the earliest availability at Yatharth Greater Noida on Sunday April 25th, evening 7-8pm. 

She was in covid ward but was shifted to HDU on Tuesday night due to declining O2. She suffered a collapse on Tuesday early morning 3:30 by O2 falling to 50s but was able to come back to 80s on bipap. From there she rose to maintain 90-92 on bipap but could not go off high flow pressure. 

On Sunday, May 02, 2021, she collapsed in cardiac arrest at 9:33am and could not be revived. 

Within the covid weekend lockdown, her last rites were completed by me at Antim Niwas, Noida; at around 9-9:30am on May 03, 2021. 

Rupesh, my husband, was my rock and the main person doing all the real work assisted by our drivers Niranjan and Brijesh. Surabhi (my sister), her husband and son, flew in on May 02 evening to lend their shoulders. 

Throughout her hospitalisation, we had a network of many doctors who were her and Baba’s (Dr Panna Choudhury) friends and colleagues. They guided us throughout and used their own networks to help. A concerned network of family and other friends also kept regular track of her progress. (On that last fateful call from Dr Vinay at Yatharth HDU, we had Dr Ashok Dutta on line with us. He recently had seen his own son through the illness. One of Baba’s oldest friends, it was in his house that my paternal grandparents stayed when they came to discuss and fix my parents marriage in the 1970s! As recently as just before lockdown, he and Ma had also been colleagues at Sharda Hospital.)

Yet with all our combined efforts, we could not save her. She was scared and alone in the hospital and I tried to reassure her in every call. Her last call came on Saturday afternoon just when we had a major fire in the house. I stood in the neighbouring bank branch driveway and reassured her she was doing well. She was scared, upset that they hadn’t changed her clothes, and wanted to know when she would be discharged. I tried to reassure her, keep her fighting, give her hope. She ended the call on my last words ever to her, I love you. 

I’m so lost, this is the third time I’ve written and rewritten this post. So much happened in such a short time. I’m spinning like a planet without its sun, trying to take it one step at a time. Sleep eludes me. I miss you Ma 😔

(Times of India, Hindustan Times announcement on May 03, 2021)

(Last rites and cremation at Antim Niwas) 🙏

She’s all yours again Baba. May you be our guiding lights, always. 

(Wedding of Dr Panna Choudhury and Dr Monisha Choudhury neé Basu. March 06, 1978)