Anjali’s determination was what brought the dream of parenthood back in our eyes. If she was not willing to give up, why were we? She was willing to try all options to help us become parents. This never-say-die attitude on their part was what brought us back to their clinic in July 2004 for our second ICSI procedure.
Like the previous occasions, everything went fine. But this time, I was much more guarded in my optimism. I decided I will not think about it at all. No more of the what-if-Bhavana-is-pregnant mind games. If it happened, I would think about it later. Else life would go on. Bhavana and I had decided that this would be our last attempt (something we had not told the Malpanis). Life had to go on.
I left for the US on a business trip a couple days after the procedure. The hectic schedule over the next two weeks left me little time to think. But I knew that the blood test was scheduled for August 16. As the date neared, I could not but think about the outcome. I was not very optimistic this time around, but there is always that glimmer of hope which never ebbs away.
And then came Bhavana’s happy call.
When I look back, my muted response to Bhavana’s positive test was perhaps an outcome of the business ups and downs I had become so used to in my life as an entrepreneur. Failure makes success sweet but it also teaches equanimity. Success and failure are but two sides of the same coin. We had experienced six previous failures over the past three years. Mentally, I was ready for another one. When the news of the success finally came, I was still hesitant to accept that our long wait was over. After all, waiting was something we had become very used to over the years.
On April 19, 2005, Abhishek came into the world as a six-and-a-half pound baby after a Caesarian. I could not believe it till I saw him and held him in my own hands. Five years after our first meeting with the Malpanis and eleven-and-a-half years into our marriage, Bhavana and I were parents.
For me, the lasting memories of that day are when both Anirudha and Anjali came (separately) to Breach Candy Hospital and held Abhishek in their hands. He was, after all, their creation. He was a triumph of their determination as much as he was our dream come true.
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Anjali has been a friend for Bhavana and me through these years. She exemplifies the joyful spirit of life itself with her infectious joie de vivre. For her, every day is a blessing, every moment to be lived – for a mission. Bringing more babies in the world. Always patient, always ready to answer every question, always persevering, she goes the extra mile. For her, there is no “patient” – only mothers-in-waiting.
The book tells the stories of Latika, Nicole, Jyoti, Lily, Pooja, Durga, Yasmin, Shivani, Lakshmidevi, Kanta, Sushma, Sudha, Rakesh and Arjun, and countless others. Through these pages, you will live their ups and downs, ask their questions, and get Anjali’s answers. As someone who was once sitting across the table from Anjali, I could not help but relive our trials and tribulations as I read through these stories. There is something magical about the birth of a baby. Most are fortunate to experience it in the natural flow of life. Some need help. And for them, God has sent doctors like Anirudha and Anjali.
As I finished reading the book, all I could do was echo the same words from a moment long gone by but never forgotten, “Thank You, Anjali.”
