The tests were all done and Kantamma, a 70-year-old lady waited patiently for the results. After a battery of tests, which included a MRI and a biopsy and other allied tests it was the day of judgement literally and figuratively for Kantamma. She had borne the pain for quite some time now and was waiting to hear from the Urology surgeons at SSSIHMS, Prasanthigram, about what they had to say.

It had been almost six months since she had been suffering. Initially she just felt that pain would go away on its own.

But then she started getting excruciating pain in the region of the lower abdomen. And added to that her urine output stated reducing and her urine had a red tinge to it, which meant blood in the urine.

 “We initially went to the small hospital near our home and they gave us some medicines and told me to use them and see if they helped. The medicines helped a bit but overall there was not much change. Then the doctors in the clinic told us to go to Swami’s Super Specialty hospital in Puttaparthi,” she said.

During that time she happened to visit the town of Anantapur to visit a relative and then visited a private hospital for an opinion. “They just told me to drink more water,” she said.

With no reduction in pain or any of the symptoms, wasting no more time she visited the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (SSSIHMS), Prasanthigram, Puttaparthi.

“SSSIHMS, Puttaparthi was not a new place to me,” she said. “I had already visited the hospital once earlier.”

“See I suffer from diabetes and I was not able to manage it well. So one day I developed as infection on the foot. Then I had visited the SSSIHMS then”, she said.

The previous visit was also etched in her mind.

“My leg was in such a bad condition then that the people of our village who saw it said that if I visited any hospital the surgeons may amputate it. But such was my faith in Swami and Swami’s hospital that I felt Swami would save my leg. Then I visited the Plastic Surgery department at SSSIHMS, Puttaparthi. The surgeons in the department admitted me and had put a graft on my leg and see me today, I am walking on my two legs,” she said triumphantly. “And all this was done totally free of charge. Where else in the whole country will anybody would get such a car totally free of charge,” she said.

So the idea of visiting Swami’s hospital for the treatment of her Urinary problem did not bother her at all. She had faith that howsoever complex be the problem Swami’s hospital will take care of it.

So she visited Swami’s hospital in the month of June 2022.

A battery of tests was performed for her and also two minor procedures one to open up the passage and the second to take a piece the tissue for a biopsy.

She was told that the results would be told to her and she waited, in a short time the surgeon called her inside along with her daughter-in-law who had been with her throughout her treatment. Their relationship was less like mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and more like mother and daughter.

The surgeon began explaining her condition in detail and all the test results and what they meant. The surgeons explained complex terminologies in layman’s terms for her to understand. 

The surgeon explained that said she had bladder cancer and a long and complex surgery had to be performed. But given her age and frail physique, they had doubts whether she would be able to bear it.

“I was adamant. I did not want to manage anymore with medicines and told them that howsoever complex the surgery may be I was willing to undergo that. I told the surgeons that I had full faith in Bhagawan Baba and He would take care of me,” she said. Looking at her positive attitude the surgeons agreed.

“I had nothing to fear. I had already experienced Swami’s love and care when I had visited previously for my infected leg, and I had simply no worries when I told them to operate,” she said.

Kantamma was admitted on October 22, 2022 and a complex surgery was performed on her. Her daughter-in-law Savitri said “she was taken inside the operation theatre at around 8:00 am in the morning and she came to the Post Anaenthesia Care Unit (PACU) at around 6:30 pm in the evening. The surgery took more than 10 hours.”

Kantamma was kept in the PACU for around 5 days and once she recovered she was then shifted to the urology ward. 

According to the Consultant of Urology at SSSIHMS, Dr. Ashwin Sachar, who operated upon her said, “According to Consultant, Department of Urology, Dr. Ashwin Shekar, Kantamma was suffering from Carcinoma of the bladder. BCG Therapy was started and it did not yield desired results. Hence it was decided to perform a complex surgery - Lap Assisted Radical  Cystectomy and Pelvic Lymph Node dissection with Ileal Conduit. Now she is free from bladder cancer and she can go back to the normal life. It is only in Swami's hospital that such advanced and complex surgical care is given totally free of charge, which is a boon to poor patients,” Dr. Ashwin said.

“Our family is of five members - me, my daughter in law, my son and my two grandchildren. We have five acres of land. It may sound like a lot of land but, with no adequate irrigation and vagaries of weather, we are just able to make both ends meet. Over the years the capital expenditure in agriculture has also increased many fold therefore whatever we earn it just enough for us,” she said. “For people like us Swami’s hospital is a great boon. Everything is totally free of charge in Swami’s hospital, where else does this happen. I did not have to pay even a penny to anybody in the hospital,” she said.

“If not this hospital, where else? I say nowhere else. We cannot afford the medical expenditure anywhere. And even if we could have afforded it I won’t go anywhere else,” she said. “I simply do not have faith in any other hospital that they care for me like in Swami’s hospital. Here it is Swami’s hospital; Swami takes care of each and every patient. In fact the whole time when I was in the hospital after admission, I was strongly feeling Swami’s presence around me,” she said.

“I was in the ward for a somedays and then the day came I was told that I was fit to go home. That day I felt bad. I just wanted to stay back in the hospital forever,” she added.