Prelude to a Heart’s Victory — after enduring deep struggles and rising again

Sweet is Victory that Comes After Surviving a Difficult Episode in Life!

Life’s a Universe to Float Through — Surpassing Blockages

There are some awesome songs out there that detail the joy of emerging out of the pain of heart break.

The emotional turmoil that follows the collapse of a romantic relationship can be overwhelming. However, in time, the heart heals, becoming stronger and nurturing a wiser soul, more open to the right kind of love from the right person.

One realizes that life is not over. Life continues, offering new experiences and opportunities. We move on, breaking free from that pain point block.

That joy and newfound confidence deserve celebration.

This song - “I will survive”, by “Gloria Gaynor”, does just that.

The spirit of the song comes to life again with these talented performers Daniele Vitale Sax and Emanuel Victor Guitar playing it here -

Victory Tune to Celebrate My Survival – Conquering Hardships and Making It to the Finish Line!

This Victory Tune echoes my feelings as I emerge from a dark tunnel after navigating a challenging path.

I love how these performers showcase the joy of survival and the strength that comes from overcoming tough times, rather than succumbing to despair.

As I listen to this music, it resonates with my sense of victory in having navigated one of the hardest periods of my life

I cherish this feeling of triumph and rejoice in my survival!

Part 1 – Getting My Act Together While a Family Member's Life was at Stake!

The Hard Reality to Digest and Make Peace With

From March 17th, the background against which I dealt daily with life was the possibility of the death of a family member. A very harsh possibility that’s hard to accept, but I was adapting myself to accept such an eventuality.

It was pain, followed by peace, then more pain.

And not just pain from one event — but from layers of old emotional wounds, personal history, and strained relationships.

Learning to Set Aside Pain and Act with Grace

All this pain was a wound that kept bleeding, as I wept daily for a month. Eventually, I adapted to rise above moving beyond this pricking pain, as I was super busy doing house work and fulfilling various other duties.

This itself, was enough to drain me off but I buzzed with energy, kept myself motivated to go on because I could not afford to collapse just as yet.

Supporting a Loved One While Allowing Them Their Own Path

I needed to act thoughtfully while navigating the unknown path alongside my family member, acknowledging that he had his own struggles and challenges to face.

It was important to give him space and comfort so he felt free to deal with the situation without feeling choked by my influence.

I understood that allowing my feelings of insecurity to dominate could chain him down, stifling his spirit of self-determination. Tough decisions had to be made while respecting his free will!

Lifting a load without getting crushed by its weight!

The family member I’m alluding to is my dad, and thankfully, he came through.

Yet, as I then learnt that his life was hanging by a thread, I was required to deal with him delicately. This was a strain on me for I had a strained relationship with Dad — filled with emotional hurt, disrespect, dismissal, and lack of trust.

Yet I was the only one at home to care for him, and support him at this critical juncture of his life.

It’s tough to care for someone when you, yourself are carrying a load without much visible support and care.

Despite the severed bonds and disconnection I feel with my dad, I knew that if he were to leave, it would create a profound vacuum in my life.

Part 2 - That Grand Movement to See Dad Come Alive Post-Surgery

Getting Through the Grueling Experience of Open-Heart Surgery Successfully

My Dad’s heart had severe blockages, with only one small side artery providing him some blood to function. His heart was pumping with difficulty because there were no clear artery pathways to nourish his heart with oxygen-rich blood supply.

This was why his life was at risk, unless he underwent heart surgery, where new arteries would be harvested to serve as pathways for his heart to receive uninterrupted flow of blood supply and pump merrily instead of struggling to pump.

My Dad decided to undergo Triple Artery Bypass Surgery. The thought of such surgery is frightening, as it involves direct handling of the heart.

Sometimes the heart is even stopped during the procedure, with a machine taking over the pumping of blood to keep the patient alive.

My Dad survived the surgery, which took place on May 15, 2025!

Emerging to Life After the Early Survival Phase: A Meaningful Victory Point

Surviving the surgery provided us with immense relief. During this phase, only the doctors could truly assess how Dad was doing, as he was sedated and lying unconscious, appearing paralyzed and miserable to others. The good news was that Dad’s vitals were stable, meaning all his organs were functioning properly.

However, real joy emerges only after seeing the person come back to life with consciousness.

I got to see my Dad animated with life to reassure me that he is truly alive, only a few days post operation as other family members were around to attend to him at the hospital.

Past 3 - Struggles to manage new State of affairs with Dad’s Weakened State

Post-Operation Struggles and Challenges: Regaining Lost Strength

Yes, he further had to struggle to get back living his life normally. He had to bear extreme pain, and regain back his depleted strength, which he lost after the operation.

So, he had a difficult post operation phase.

He had to keep going – getting back to walk, do his basic tasks which took a few days.

At this point his body and system had to rebuild itself, and he had to keep his spirits high and keep going, and go through his tough journey of recovery.

Being with Dad at hospital post-operation!

During the time I spent with Dad at the hospital, I had to be gentle, as he already had a hard time undergoing the heart-operation and continued to experience a difficult phase with post-operation pain, weakness. There was no room to show bitterness, having my pent up frustrated feelings with Dad.

I witnessed his hard struggles as he struggled to walk out of bed, do basic tasks that we usually take for granted and assisted him as required.

I had to keep patience, serve him meals and water, oversee that he walks without slipping while also listen and provide him company.

Summoning Extra Strength to Compensate for Dad’s Weakened State

Special arrangements needed to made for Dad so he can comfortably rest and recover. Some sudden extra work came about and help needed to be taken to fix some things at home before Dad comes home from hospital!

However, I definitely needed extra strength to compensate for Dad’s depleted vitality – as it added unexpected extra work loads for me. Be it setting his room right, buying things in the last minute, coming to the hospital and attending to him etc.

All this while, I was anyway busy overseeing arrangements at home for family – clean food, drinking water and such things when the kitchen was having roaches about.

I also had my usual responsibilities of caring for my pet cats, cleaning their litter, arranging food, washing their dishes and entertaining them.

Out of Extreme Weakness, Still Far From Strong

More than a month has passed since Dad’s bypass surgery. He is still recovering, but he has regained enough strength to walk and perform basic activities.

However, he continues to experience pain and is disappointed that he still feels weak and lacks the stamina to engage in activities he enjoyed before—such as going for walks, doing outdoor tasks, meeting friends, and driving.

His strong fighting spirit has mellowed and faded off, but thankfully, the most fragile phase is behind him. With just a couple more months of dedication, he should be able to regain his strength and return to the activities that make him feel fully alive again!

Until then, he needs to focus on eating well, resting, walking, and recovering at his own pace. Life can wait; there’s no need for impatience!

Surgical Wounds Will Heal — And Fade in Time

Here’s a picture of Dad’s leg wound, from which a large vein was taken to create three arteries that supply blood to his heart. He also has a similar cut wound on his chest, where the doctors opened it to perform the bypass surgery.

Must-Do’s for Dad Until His Recovery is Complete!

Dad needs to clean his surgical wounds regularly and take his medications as prescribed. Throughout his recovery period, he must follow up with his heart surgeon, who will monitor the healing of his wounds. The critical period of requiring extreme caution to avoid infections has passed, but he must still take care.

Part 5: Honoring the Forces Behind Dad’s Heart Surgery Survival — As His Heart Finds Its Stronger Beat

The star who was instrumental in the victory of Dad’s Heart Surgery – Dr Satish Kini

The credit for this victory does not belong solely to Dad’s strength or my own; it is primarily due to Dr. Satish Kini and his medical team at Baptist Hospital.

He made it clear that some risk of death is there in the surgery. There might also be other complications, but that was limited to 1-3%!

Now, when we see Dr. Kini, he is cheerful and talks about other aspects of life, as the earlier serious atmosphere has evaporated and Dr Kini’s cheerfulness gets place to play on now!

The revelation unveiled by Dr Vanitha had me realize Dad’s heart condition was severe!

While Dr. Kini's successful performance of the surgery is the central factor behind this victory, I must also acknowledge the crucial role played by our cardiologist, Dr. Vanitha. She is the one who made me take Dad’s condition seriously.

By showing me a video of Dad’s heart taken during an angiogram on March 17th, she revealed the severe blockages that existed. This visual evidence helped me realize the gravity of Dad's heart condition, prompting me to reach out to my Peripa (Dad's elder brother) for assistance in taking further actions.

Although, I was not able to explain the exact particulars of Dad's artery Blockages, I got a picture that it was severe and I cannot just leave the matter unaddressed.

Dr Vanitha’s active role ended here, but I appreciate how delicately she broke the facts of Dad’s heart condition with utmost care while being sincere.

It’s the understanding I got from her visual explanations that propelled me to take support of others because I understood that I was stuck in a critical situation which required me to take promt action.

Many Supportive Souls Whose Goodwill Propelled Me to move Forward with Courage

In this journey, I not just survived but was able to function meaningfully doing what was required to be done to keep going, because of the support and love I received from many quarters.

This will take another story, yet I have to emphasise that without all that help, support, guidance, reassuring words from well-wishers I could not have found strength to move on.

My Dad’s elder siblings, and my cousins came forward to support me and my Dad. My Dad’s elder brother; my Perippa was instrument in motivating me to keep going, meeting doctors, following up with Dad on his decision, deciding on the surgeon who would perform Dad’s heart surgery.

My Dad’s two elder sisters, my two Attais also provided guidance and support, talking to Dad and urging him to take the situation seriously.

Additionally, my cousin, who has a medical background, offered invaluable insights on how to care for the heart before surgery and how to prepare the body for the bypass procedure. His guidance not only educated us but also helped us mentally prepare for the surgery, boosting our morale.

My Perippa served as an invisible hero, laying the foundation for our next steps. He had gone the extra mile to accompany us to the heart Surgeon and ask the essential questions that provided clarity on Dad’s heart condition, medical treatment options, in-depth details of open heart surgery procedure etc.

The little concern showed by well-wishers was a balm to my wounds that lent strength to my soul!

Besides this, I got support from select acquaintances, friends, and my Attai, who heard my pain, my story, and acknowledged my struggles.

It’s quite possible that I could summon up that spirit to stop crying after sharing my pain with these well-wishers. They listened and reassured me with their comforting words, making it known that my well-being mattered to them.

As I shared my pain, I unburdened a load off my chest and lightened up. One could say all that steam of pain oozed off and disappeared for the time being!!

I am indeed very fortunate to have had supportive people being there for me to propel me ahead at a time when I was a little lost, miserable, upset, frightened, insecure, angry, stressed and stretched out.

These well-wishers expect no gratitude; their love was freely given, much like a refreshing breeze on weary spirits or raindrops washing away our anguish.

Re-starting my writing journey once again by sharing this Victory Story!

So, I could smile, laugh, love, and appreciate all this care at that time.

And when victory came, I could share my happiness with my well-wishers as well.

Now, I share my joy here at my writing home platforms, playing my Victory tune..

Getting back to writing wasn’t easy. Even though we had overcome the worst, I was left tired and drained. Alongside my dad’s recovery, I too had to rebuild my strength — slowly and quietly.

But now, most of that strength has returned, and I’m starting again — with this article.

There’s still more to tell from this journey, and I’ll be sharing those reflections in the coming parts.

Thank you so much for reading.