Locked-in syndrome

 

The first time I read about it I was quite startled – the locked-in syndrome. [In the Ten Types of Human by Dexter Dias]

“ Tony had suffered a massive stroke.  It left him paralysed…..The way Jane described it, her husband’s body suddenly disappeared from his control, like the sudden vanishing of the safety of a plane to man in terrifying freefall.  Tony was cast adrift.  Only one small – miniscule – islet of control remained: blinking.  And the torment was deepened because his mind had been left unharmed, completely unimpaired.  He had locked-in syndrome.”

To have the mind functioning still, but body being totally out of control – there cannot be a more stifling life.

I was reminded of my father's plight.  One night, while he was in the ICU, it was announced to us that he had suffered a stroke and was in coma.  But after a week of being on ventilator and support system, when one day I told the doctor near his bed that I did not think he would like to lie like that, he nodded.  

We have come across a patient in Munnabai MBBS (Vasool Raja MBBS in Tamil) who is believed to be in coma, but had life inside.

I came across a similar instance narrated by another person:

“It was the first few weeks of my pregnancy when I was diagnosed with an internal haemorrhage. The prognosis was grave and surgery was an option only as a last resort at the risk of losing the foetus. I was ordered complete bed rest with absolutely no movement, so to give the wound a chance to heal itself. I lay in bed all day and night staring at the ceiling most of the time. The only welcome distraction to my eyes was the picture of Bhagavan and Sri Arunachala that I had asked to be glued on the closet door at the foot of my bed. I tried to concentrate on my prayers, repeating "Sri Arunachala Akshara Mana Malai" as much as possible.

 But the physical pain was immense, not to mention the agony of being bed ridden. Though I was under excellent medical care and had full attention from my family, I felt my strength draining from my body with each passing day. One afternoon, I had an experience. I felt the heat dissipating from my body and a chillness setting in. My hearing began losing its sharpness, vision blurring and a cloud of darkness set in. I could not move my hands nor could I voice a single word, even though I was trying to scream from within. I felt suffocated, was aware of my consciousness slipping away and felt myself sinking into something that I have no words to describe.

I panicked inside, gripped by the fear of death and thoughts of unfinished responsibilities. I experienced my life slipping away. At that moment, I cried inside to Bhagavan, begging Him, that if this was death, he should take me to Him. Then, I had the vision of the holy Sri Arunachala Mountain zooming back and forth and Bhagavan standing at one side of the hill. There was an arc of light leaving my body, like what you see in children's fairy tale movies. Bhagavan raised his hand and pushed the light back into my body. He then said, "This is not the time for you to go. You have a purpose in life. Do your duty." Then in the most gracious and affectionate way, he put his hand where I had been hurting and said, "Is this where you hurt?"

 After this I became conscious. I had no idea how long I was unconscious. All I knew was that this experience had transformed me, for when I became aware of the world, I had absolutely no pain. I immediately rose from my bed and walked briskly across the room. I felt and appeared perfectly healthy. The next visit to the doctor showed a completely healed wound. Now I have been blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby. Bhagavan gave me a chance to bring a gift of life into my family. Everyday I remind myself that I live by His grace alone.”

— A New York Devotee

[From: The Maharshi Newsletter, Sep/Oct 2000, Vol. 10, No. 5]

Life is taken for granted.  We do not yet understand what keeps the clock ticking. How and to what extent.