The story of Seema Yadav and her army’s battle to keep her alive

One cannot fight the battle of life all alone. One needs an army, just like Seema Yadav has.

37-year-old, Seema Yadav had 96% lung infection and escaped from the clutches of the death, not once, or twice, but thrice, over the last few weeks. The mother of 20-months-old twins’ story is of sheer will, bravery, collective generosity of complete strangers, and extreme kindness.

Pooja Rathore is a part of the medical fraternity. She was on a break from her job, as her mother had contracted COVID 19 from her. While she was busy helping her mother to recovery, she also extended a helping hand to others in need.

She said, “On 30th April, I received a call at night asking for an ICU bed for his wife. I asked him about his wife and he told me that she has been admitted to the Ashirvad Hospital and is very critical”. Seema Yadav had tested positive for Coronavirus on 27th April. ” I started searching for a bed for his wife, and I found a bed in Jupiter Hospital. I called Dr. Vikram Chauhan and he told me to send the patient. I got the patient transferred to the hospital and she was in the hospital for 6-7 days. I realized that the patient needed a large set-up. Suresh Yadav, husband of Seema Yadav called and I told him that let us try to get the patient admitted to Bhailal Amin General Hospital as I have blind faith in Dr. Manish Mittal”. Dr. Manish Mittal is one of the most experienced doctors and is an MD Physician at Bhailal Amin General Hospital.

“I started calling up every possible source I could think of to arrange for a bed in Bhailal Hospital. But, since it was the second wave of COVID, I could not get a bed due to that. I reached out to Dr. Vijay Shah, the President of BJP, Vadodara City. I reached out to Dr. Ravi Hirwani, the CEO of Bhailal. Ravi Sir was very kind and Dr. Vikram Chauhan from Jupiter Hospital immediately arranged for an ambulance for the patient to be shifted. As soon as Seema reached the Emergency department of Bhailal, she collapsed. Her lungs were in such a weak state that she could not bear the journey from Jupiter to Bhailal Hospital. Dr. Mittal along with his team revived the patient and shifted her to ICU.”

Giving details about the background of the family Pooja Rathore said, ” Suresh works as a cab driver. But due to COVID, his job also suffered. But, he cleared the bill at the two previous hospitals with his savings. At Bhailal he filed for mediclaim of 5 lakhs. I called Suresh and asked him about the financial situation. He said he had a little bit of money left. Both Seema and Suresh have lost their parents, and all they have is their little twins. I started collecting funds and with the help of school friends, teachers, classmates I collected approximately 6-7 lakhs and the hospital has billed methodically and completely as per the VMC’s COVID norm. Unfortunately, after few days, Seema collapsed again. There was bleeding in her lungs and was again in a serious condition. She was given life-saving injections too. I was not ready to shift the patient to any other hospital kyuki mei ek fauji ki beti hu, mere family ke har member ne jung ladi hai iss desh ke liye, so I was not ready to give up. I started collecting funds again. People who had donated the last time could not donate as everybody’s business was affected. I had Commissioner of Police of Vadodara, Shamsher Singh, then Sonu Sood. Sonu Sood advised me to seek help through Ketto (crowdfunding platform) and he said he will talk to the head of Ketto. Ketto was very kind and did not charge any commission as Sonu Sood was involved. Luckily, people started joining in. I received calls from auto-rickshaw drivers who were ready to donate whatever amount they could. An elderly pensioner who doesn’t know me was also willing to contribute. The maids of the colonies also contributed to this. I called up United Way of Baroda, who sprung into action immediately by donating a lump sum amount. I was speechless by this act of generosity. Finally, I reached a figure of 23 lakhs, which according to me was so many people’s emotions and blessings for Seema. I received funds from different countries too.
Few of my friends had collected toys, chocolates, cookies, and biscuits for their children. We had also arranged for their ration of 2-3 months. This is the spirit of India – not giving up. Neither the doctors, nor the institutes, nor the donors.

Currently, Seema is still in Bhailal and she has recovered from COVID and the 96% lung damage. Right now she is on 2-liter Oxygen. She would require an oxygen concentrator at home, for which arrangements have already been made. At present, we still have 11 lakhs and we wish to create a Fixed Deposit account for Seema and her kids. We are ready to fight for Seema’s health and for other Seemas too who need our help.

Seema Yadav is not just a name. It’s a movement in itself- which brought together strangers and made everyone believe in humanity. People connected with her by connecting with her pain, or personal loss and did everything in their power to ensure she lives.