Lifeless son lying on the bed, sitting beside him is the mother who has been serving him for the last 13 years. Sometimes she kisses her son’s forehead. Sometimes she caresses him, she doesn’t even realize when her eyes fill with tears while looking at him. The father also peeks into the room again and again, wants to say something but his throat gets choked. Relatives and people around come and console them, but many of them cry themselves. The story of Harish Rana for whom the Supreme Court has approved euthanasia.
Harish’s parents are satisfied that their son will soon get relief from this endless pain. But a son is a son. After falling from the fourth floor during engineering, a mountain of sorrows fell on the Rana family, their entire life’s capital was spent on treatment, the family fell from the throne to the floor. But the mind becomes sad thinking that the son’s breathing will stop in a few days. Only a parent can understand this pain. Now the walls of his house are silent, conversations are taking place in low voices in the rooms and there is only one question on every face. Now what will happen next and how? Harish will be admitted to AIIMS by today or tomorrow, where he will be kept in palliative care, but before going to the hospital, every moment at home has become very emotional for the family.
Father Ashok Rana is not able to talk much to the media. Whenever someone asks him a question, his eyes fill with tears. All they say is that for 13 years we have been trying to get our son cured, but now it breaks our hearts to see his pain. Now after the court order, everything has been left to God.
The day of Rakshabandhan that changed everything
Ashok Rana tells that Rakshabandhan of the year 2013 became an unforgettable day for his family. That day, Harish fell from the fourth floor of the college hostel PG where he lived. The accident was so serious that he suffered deep injuries on his head and waist. His only hope at that time was that the child would recover after a few days of treatment. With this hope, the family started treatment, but first a few days passed, then a few weeks and years… but Harish’s condition did not improve and he could not get up from the bed after the accident.
Visited hospitals for many years
It has been 13 years since the accident happened with Harish. The family would hardly have left any big hospital for his treatment. Harish was treated in big hospitals like PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS Delhi, RML, Apollo, every time the family went to the doctors with new hopes. Every time he felt that maybe this time some way would be found. But with time the hopes started weakening. If the treatment continued for a long time, money was also spent and several lakhs of rupees were spent on the treatment.
Three storey house sold for treatment
Ashok Rana was earlier a chef in a big hotel. Somehow, the family was able to run with the pension received from the job, but the expenses for the son’s treatment increased so much that the family had to put everything at stake. Ashok Rana says that in September 2021, he also sold his three-storey house in Mahavir Enclave, Delhi. Thought that the son would recover, but he could not recover and after long treatment, the financial condition of the family also deteriorated.
Seeing his son’s pain, he took the most difficult decision.
It is not easy for any parent to see their son writhing in bed for 13 years. Harish’s condition has become such that he just lies on the bed. No response, no ability to speak to anyone, due to being in a coma, there are wounds on the body lying on the bed. From father to mother and younger brother, everyone serves Harish. Brother wakes up at 5 in the morning and does physiotherapy. Mother also takes care the whole day. Father Ashok Rana runs a nutritious food shop outside a stadium near the house. It has been 13 years since Harish was seen, now his pain is not visible to his family members. The family says that now they want Harish to get relief from this pain. For this reason the door of the court was knocked.
Harish’s organs can be given to the needy
Harish’s father wants that after leaving his body, it would be good if Harish’s organs can give life to someone in need. Ashok Rana says that if our son’s organs give life to someone else, then we will feel that his life was not wasted.
Will be kept in palliative care in AIIMS
According to the family, Harish will soon be admitted to Delhi AIIMS. There he will be kept in the Department of Oncoanesthesia and Palliative Medicine, where patients suffering from serious and incurable diseases are given pain relief and care. At present, everyone in the house is just trying to spend whatever time they have with Harish, giving him love and affection.