When the ocean unleashes its fury to welcome a storm and the ships are driven onto rocks, there she stands, a statuesque symbol. She shines her bright light through the skies, aiding the sailor home through the thickest fog and stormiest night. She stands through every storm, calling each sailor home.
Despite the bad storm and the high tide, every sailor is on
a strenuous lookout for a lighthouse, which sparks in him a tiny flicker of
that dazzling light to brave the weather and return home. 'Twas that day for
Les and I on 12th of August 2016.
Lesley was pursuing his MD in General medicine in CMC,
Vellore. Our second baby was due on 12th August 2016. On 8th August, while Lesley returned from work, our older daughter Grace had high
spiking fever accompanied with seizures. We carried her to the hospital and got
her admitted. Due to scarcity of private
rooms we were first admitted to the general ward. Being a full term pregnant
mother, sleeping on the same bed with the child was quite a task that night. My parents in law and our friends from church visited us and helped us. It was very difficult for us to watch her suffer. Once we got shifted to the
private ward, it was a little easy. There was a small play room opposite the
pediatric ward. This pediatric ward play room in CMC has seen tears of many
parents like us. It has seen smiles of children who play around with IV lines
or slings or catheters. And Grace was one among them. They wanted to rule out
epilepsy in our daughter. So every procedure she was put through (EEG and Lumbar puncture) was difficult
for her and us.
It was a bad storm. Our hearts couldn't brave the weather
anymore when on 12th of august 2016, I went into labor while Grace was asleep.
We left Grace along with my mom in the pediatric ward and I was wheeled into
the labor room at 6.30 am. It is very
difficult for medicine PG residents to get leave in CMC. Now Lesley had some
valid reasons. His first dependent was
admitted to the labor ward. His second dependent was admitted to the
pediatric ward and his third dependent was on her way into this world.
Dr Thambu David was kind enough to give him 4 days of leave.
In all this, a tiny flicker of dazzling light made her way through at 8.30 am. There she lay, just next to me a beautiful child all by herself, so calm, so composed yet so tender and so mild. She touched our hearts and quietened our distressed souls. She was, what a storm was not that day. A bright dazzling light- thus her name Ellen. Her name is also a profound reminder of the love Lesley and I have for each other as a couple. She was our smile during that stormy weather. I pray and wish she always remains this way. A comfort for those in despair, a candle for those in the dark and a lighthouse shining bright for those battling a bad storm. It's customary for the nurses to clean the child, wrap the baby in a soft towel and take it to the family waiting outside. In our case, we had no family waiting outside. It was just Lesley and I. Our family was taking care of Grace in the pediatric ward. We took her in our arms and beheld her beauty as she endured an undisturbed sleep.
Now the days in CMC were difficult, because they wouldn’t allow me to meet Grace, since both of us were admitted to different wards as inpatients. She was sick and she needed her mother. Parents, parents-in-law, my aunt's family and friends from our church came around to help us. We would never forget the love we got during those difficult times from near and far. God was very gracious to us. Grace recovered and epilepsy was ruled out. Grace and I got discharged from the respective wards on 14th of august. It was a bad storm indeed!
Back at the hospital, during those nights when our hearts were weak and struck with fear and turmoil, she smiled into our lives like the break of dawn- a beautiful reason to wake another day in hope; a sibling and friend to Grace; a treasure for Lesley and I to hold, nurture and love. She still stands tall, a symbol of God's continual faithfulness during that bad storm, a tiny flicker of God's dazzling bright light - our beautiful Ellen.
-Eben Lesley
