Never say die

You read about Ratnakar Shetty and his heart attack in my last post. This time another incident involving him. As can be surmised by the previous story, Ratnakar is an avid golfer. Once, some years ago while out golfing he was hit on the eye by an errant golf ball. Instead of ducking or swaying this brave man looked straight in the direction of the shout and got hit. Despite it being a half volley the injury was severe and he was taken to the hospital for expert eye care.

I went to visit him in the hospital few days after the incident. He was sitting alone with a huge bandage that covered his injured eye. Doctors had told him of the possibility of his loosing sight in that eye and he looked disturbed. Later it proved that he retained some vision.

I asked him,’ how are you coping’?

‘They have said I can play golf ‘he said!

Here was the true spirit of golf on display. To keep the talk going, I asked him,’ when are they operating’?

‘They have told me that I can play next Sunday’ was his reply

Then on the talk centered around not his eye but on how he was going to play the blessed game and how soon after this unwanted interference in the form of his eye injury.

When I was taking his leave, he asked me.’ Doc, tell me is it true that one eyed golfers put the ball better’? Putting was a weak part of his game.

Another demo of true golfing spirit.

He got operated and returned to active golf some months later. His vision in the affected eye was poor and nothing much could be done to improve.

He met me some time later and said that he was having trouble playing because the image from the bad eye was interfering with the one from the good eye and wanted my advice. On the spur of the moment I told him the best option is while at play he covers the bad eye with an eye patch. ‘Perfect solution’ Ratnakar said.

Then on he was seen on the golf course with a black eye patch covering his affected eye! He looked quite funny with the black patch on his left eye and swinging the golf club.

He was never a great golfer. So his loss of sight in one eye did not male much difference to his game, It however provided his friends some more fun.


Mini miracle
They lived in a duplex apartment. From the base to the first floor there was flight of steps that ran up to 12 ft. On one side there is a protective railing and the other side there was a wall. The mother and her two children, a toddler of three years and a girl baby of 14months were in the upstairs bedroom, when the phone rang. The mother rushed down to answer the phone leaving the children in the bedroom and the door ajar. The toddler quietly followed the mother down. The baby crawled and walked to the railing looking for the mother who was directly below, busy on phone.

She slipped through the vertical slats of the railing and fell on the tiled floor below at the feet of the mother!

The shocked mother took the child to her doctor neighbor who advised her to take the baby to the hospital. While on their way they found the baby playing and smiling and looking quite normal. They turned around and came to see me.

The mother stood with the baby grasping the mother tightly at the chest and shoulder, turning occasionally and giving me frightened looks. The father and the toddler took their seats. The father explained the incident and their fear. By this time the little girl had lost her fear and was playing with the pencil I had given her and was trying to eat the blunt end. She had no pain, was moving her legs and arms, breathing normally, had no bruises or cuts, no bleeding from the nose or ears and had not lost consciousness after the fall.

I examined her. There was no hint of any injury. She was perfectly normal and I had to believe the parents that she had fallen from a height of 12 ft on hard floor and sustained no injuries!

If this is not a miracle what is?

This took place two days ago.