Of Grit & Gratitude

I almost lost my eyesight.

And this is a story about Grit and Gratitude.

1999: I was heavily into naturopathy, yoga and veganism. No medication of any sort. Yoga was my best medicine.

That same year I had to appear for an exam. While preparing for it, I contracted conjunctivitis. With an exam in 2 days, I went to my family doctor who gave me eye drops.

Background: I have a genetic blood condition called G6PD deficiency - means a big chunk of Allopathic drugs are are not allowed; having them can cause a massive reaction to a person with G6PD deficiency.

My doctor gave me some eye drops. I cautioned him about G6PD, and he said "You're all good; no impact with an eye drop."

I put the drops in my eyes - within 30 seconds, my nose started bleeding, eyes swelled more and I had 30 to 40 mouth blisters. Plus 104 fever. The pain was unbearable. It was the most adverse drug reaction called Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

I was hospitalised for 8 days on IntraVeinous steroids!

From naturopathy to steroids in my blood stream - all in a flash!

The steroids had a party inside me; they had to be tapered off over 3 months. My body went into a complete tizzy. I started gaining weight and my digestive system took a massive hit. But I took it one day at a time.

4 months on I had another attack. This time sans any meds. My eyes again got sticky and bloodshot red, with painful heartbeats in my eyeballs even if I looked downwards. This attack would last for 15 days, and recurred every 2mths.

Over the next year I must have consulted 12-15 ophthalmologists and by the end of it, I was fed up. They all said "Take steriods for the rest of your life, else you'll get blind".

I refused to accept that. I said I'm going to try all forms of naturopathy and alternative medicine and make sure I reverse it myself with GRIT. So that's where my mind took over, because obviously matter was not helping me in any way.

I reached out to a top homeopath in Mumbai -- Dr Shirin Wadia - my case was a first for her to but she assured me of a 100% cure. Said, “You have to just follow me blindly and do what I tell you.”

I followed her advice to a T even though initially the attacks kept coming every 2 mths. But over time, tmher meds started their magic. The 3rd attack came if after 3mths - a longer interval - which meant we were getting control of the problem.

Her guidance to me was simple:

1. Trust your body that it will be fine

2. Appreciate what you have

She said, if right now your eyes are a challenge, don't lament it, just say “Thank you for whatever I can do with my eyes”. Allocate 10 minutes each day to thank your eyes.

With her support and medication, I was gaining control of the situation. This practice of GRATITUDE instilled the feeling that I can actually move mountains with the power of my mind. I took it one step further to say thank you to every body part.

Dr. Shirin Wadia - you've not just cured my eyes, you helped open them too - your positivity drove me through those excruciatingly painful days. Can't thank you enough Doc! You are my everything. I can see the world due to you.

This experience made me realise 2 big things.

1. Mind over matter. GRIT

2. Count your Blessings every second of your life. GRATITUDE.