26/11 miracle girl wheels out into a new life

prithvi.k

on off on off......
march 2009 news, but must read it ---

Three months after she was brought to Bombay Hospital nearly dead, Jharna Narang who also lost her parents and brother in the attack on Taj, is ready to face life a new

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Jharna Narang turns 36 on March 5 but she does not want any fuss around her on the day, although some friends and extended family have planned a small but subdued get-together, her aunt Nina Gawlani has told us.

Three months ago, Jharna who was injured in the 26/11 shoot-out at the Taj Hotel was brought to Bombay Hospital in a critical state. After surviving five bullet wounds and huge blood loss, doctors could barely feel her pulse.
It took over three months, 48 bottles of blood and 24x7 efforts by 19 doctors at Bombay Hospital before the Pedder Road resident Jharna could look forward to leaving her room number 1358 at the hospital in a couple of days.


The total expenditure has been close to Rs 40 lakh, hospital sources said. Nina informs us that the Tatas have picked up the tab and will continue to monetarily support Jharna when future medical assistance will be required.

Jharna, 35, was at the Taj Hotel dining with her parents Vishnu and Neelam, brother Gunjan and his wife Shruti and her parents, the Jalans, celebrating Gunjan’s 32nd birthday when the terrorists took charge.


She was hit by four bullets — two pierced her hands, one hit her in the pelvic region and another in the stomach that damaged her spinal cord. Her parents and brother did not survive while the sister-in-law Shruti and her parents were evacuated safely.
“When she was brought in here, she was comatose. Her kidneys had failed. The dialysis went on for over a month. After medication, we managed to revive her kidneys. After two months when we broke the news to her that her parents were no more, she was depressed for three days.


We started physiotherapy as both her legs are paralysed due to the damage to her spinal cord. She suffered from septicaemia. We have done a colostomy (see box) on her. She is a staunch follower of Buddha and Erzaam Taraporewalla, a fellow Buddhist chanter, helped her recover,” said Dr M M Begani, one of the leading surgeons at Bombay Hospital. The line of treatment for Narang was complex and required services from a nephrologist, an onco surgeon, cardio-vascular thoracic surgeon, neurosurgeon, spine surgeon, several plastic surgeons, a physiotherapist and a psychiatrist.

Karan Gupta, one of Jharna’s friends, who has been taking turns with other friends and family to keep watch on her, said that it was in fact her faith that helped her recover after the devastating news was broken to her. She is a prominent member of Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), the Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), that propagates Buddhist teachings.

“Every day, 24X7, members have taken turns to chant for her outside her room at the hospital,” says Karan. “Jharna is a fashion jewellery designer and has a company called Joya. She retails within the country and abroad. We have created a Facebook group called 'Joya-Prayer for Jharna’ that has received over 2550 messages.”

Jharna’s stay at the hospital may get extended for a couple of days till her sister-in-law arranges a special electric wheel chair and a hospital-like bed at home. Jharna, who must spend at least three more months on wheelchair, doesn't want to remember her past.

“I am only looking forward. I don’t want to know what happened in the past,” is all that she wants to say. Karan adds that although she remembers the day distinctly when she was being evacuated with her mother from the Chambers, she wants to move on with life. Her mother took the bullets and died instantly. As did her father and brother in another part of the hotel. “She regrets that she could not say the last goodbyes,” said Karan.

When doctors asked her how she was going to celebrate her birthday, she said she didn’t want a crowd, but wanted her doctors to come and wish her. :)


What is a colostomy?

A colostomy is a surgical procedure that involves connecting a part of the colon onto the anterior abdominal wall, leaving the patient with an opening on the abdomen called a stoma. In a colostomy, the stoma is formed from the end of the large intestine, which is drawn out through the incision and sutured to the skin.

After a colostomy, faeces leave the patient's body through the abdomen. A colostomy may be permanent or temporary, depending on the reasons for its use)

 
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