The world of Tzu Chi Sep-Oct 2022 (Vol.143)

2022 • 10 34 treatment. “His right kidney can still function normally. If given proper treatment, he still has a chance to grow up properly. We will need further information on the left kidney to decide how to take care of it. I suggest taking the boy to senior physician Dr. Sujit Chowdhary in New Delhi to have the fluid drained from the boy’s abdomen before we assess further treatment options.” New Delhi is 1,100 km from Sandeep’s village. On July 18, Abhishek accompanied the boy and his parents to board a train to Gaya, where they met up with Vivek and boarded another train to New Delhi, before travelling yet another hour to get to the hospital. The entire trip lasted 20 hours. Surgery Sandeep and his parents met with Dr. Sujit Chowdhary at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital. “Why did you wait until now to seek treatment for your child?” the doctor asked, stunned by the sight of the child with an abdomen as big as a large watermelon. “He should have received treatment long ago!” It was only then that Sandeep’s mother realized her son’s condition was so dire and required immediate care. It made her appreciate even more of Tzu Chi’s efforts to find them and help Sandeep get treatment. It was a race against time. The operation took an hour, after which Sandeep was transferred to the intensive care unit for observation. Seven litres of fluid were drained from his abdomen during the surgery, with more flowing out in the days following the operation. The boy’s girth gradually shrank from 72 cm to 59 cm. Dr. Chowdhary said that he would need to be observed for four to six weeks before assessing his renal functions. When Sandeep had improved enough after the surgery, he was discharged from the hospital and was staying in a local hotel. Things seemed to be going well, but then something shocking happened. Instead of becoming flat, Sandeep’s abdomen caved in, as if a big hole had appeared there. Vivek immediately contacted Taiwan. Superintendent Chao explained that it was because the organs in Sandeep’s abdomen had become misshapen after being compressed for so long, but the condition would gradually improve. Just as the doctor said, the boy’s abdomen began to look more normal soon afterwards—even the overstretched skin was on the mend. “Keep his legs raised to see if we can get more urine out,” the superintendent instructed via the Internet. Following his directive, Vivek and Abhishek tried all kinds of postures with the boy in an attempt to drain out more fluid. They did not even mind when urine leaked out from the drainage tube and splashed on them as they worked to find the best position. To help Superintendent Chao decide whether Sandeep could safely return home, lobal Presence Tzu Chi volunteers accompanied Sandeep to receive treatment in New Delhi. Picture shows Dr. Sujit Chowdhary examining him.