“The day I was diagnosed with positive coronavirus, I was sure that I would beat it and have another day with my family and friends. And here I am alive and well after being in the hospital for over a week in April, ”said 74-year-old Ramani Rao.
Ms. Rao is no stranger to adversity and the Visakhapatnam natives treated the virus as another hurdle to be overcome by willpower.
“I was married to an officer who served in the ASC (Army Service Corps), so I’ve spent half of my life in forward areas and seen at least two wars,” said the devilish Septugenarian and former teacher.
“In 1965, the year I was married, war broke out on the Western Front between India and Pakistan and my husband, Colonel Kona Arjun Rao, was posted somewhere on the Kashmiri border. As a young woman who’d just graduated from college and just married, I wasn’t afraid of contingencies then, and I wasn’t now. And my advice to everyone is to be brave and face the challenge with courage. Many lose the race because they don’t have it, ”says Ms. Rao.
Ms. Rao was certainly not alone in the misfortune. Just a week before she was diagnosed with COVID, she had broken her left upper arm. It was a compound fracture that required major surgery.
“Even though COVID has come and gone, I still have to recover from the fracture. But getting them both together was like a double blow. In addition, the concern was that I was in the high risk group with diabetes and high blood pressure, ”she said.
She was inducted into the CSR block at King George Hospital and turned out to be a model patient with nurses and doctors still remembering her energy levels and positive attitude.
Almost in the same period, both sons were diagnosed with COVID and one was also admitted to the KGH.
“Surprisingly, my son’s oxygen levels dropped and he had to be oxygenated. But during my illness, my values never went below 97. And I urge my children and everyone to exercise to keep heart and lungs healthy, ”said Ms. Ramani.
Ms. Rao, a pranic healer, said meditation can calm the mind and reduce anxiety levels during difficult times.
“COVID is here and let’s accept it. There is no need to fear or develop fear or any type of inferior complex. It affects everyone and we must face it valiantly. But to keep it in check we have to follow COVID-appropriate behavior at the same time, “said Ms. Ramani.