Abhishek Mishra

Call it destiny, or some non-existential sign but it felt as if the universe was celebrating with me. In a series of events in which I would like to wrap around my story, let’s begin with the classic So this happened…

When I was first diagnosed with TB MDR, I had no clue about what it was or its treatment, but then gradually I began introducing myself to it. Most of the articles on the internet stated that it is a very long and painful procedure including 14,600 medicines and over 120+ injections. Ouch! That was the time when I assured myself, “It’s going to be tough but at the same time, it's not impossible. You’ve done it before; you can do it again.” Though I knew that my case was more severe than others. I was also operated on and the procedure took nearly 6 hours, during which a small tissue of my left lung was removed. But when the OT door opened, I still remember seeing 20/25 people including my mom, dad, my entire family and my dad's friend. Even in that moment of excruciating pain, my family made me feel more than a hero.

Tears were mandatory and everyone had their fair share to shed, but they were all happy tears. The recovery as a whole was a rollercoaster ride in itself. I had two tubes injected in my left lung so that all the water drained off and because of that I wasn't able to move and was on bed rest for a week. The most difficult part for me, physically and mentally, was that I had to even poop on my bed. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures lol. That was the moment when I knew that I had to fight this battle so that tomorrow I can stand up and start doing things on my own, starting with poop.

I still remember that my dad would go out of the room every time the nurse would come to give me an injection because like all the other fathers, he had a difficult time emoting or just putting his feelings into words. All this led to my one-year educational gap. However, my ideal mind could’ve been worse than a devil’s workshop, hence, I decided that I needed a distraction. Girlfriend? Well that wasn’t an option. Maybe reading? But again, I was too distracted. Thanks to my school friend Mitali, I was introduced to the BA FTNMP course at SVKM’s UPG College. To be honest, it wasn’t the course that pulled me towards taking admission here, nor was it the lovely reviews about the college and its faculty. It was one very specific reason. The Drama Team. Mitali just wouldn’t shut up about how her love for art and drama only grew more because of the team and at that moment, my goal was clear. I wanted that. So, I made it happen. And my new, redefined journey started.

20th August, 2018 will be marked as my promised land. Brought back from the clutches of death to put it more dramatically because why not. So, I decided that every year on that date I would do something to remind me that I am alive. 20th August became my second birthday and I decided that I would celebrate it by beginning anew. After joining DT, I had participated for the first time in a college event and we had achieved the first podium in both the competitions. Surprisingly, the day the results were announced was 20th August 2019. Call it destiny, or some non-existential sign but it felt as if the universe was celebrating with me.

A year from then, 20th August 2020, I started a YouTube channel along with my team. A series of short films on untold stories because at the end What are we but our stories? Yes, in these two years I have also had bad experiences like weakening of the eyesight, hearing loss due to high dosage of medicines but I would excuse myself for it. I’ve lost nothing that I couldn’t gain back, most importantly my self-confidence.

There were times where I couldn't feel my legs in the Mumbai local as a side effect to the medicines I had to take. But I kept on going because I didn't want to give up. I’ve been through a lot and all of it has made me stronger. Not a lot of people see the good in this world, but I do. This has been a hell of an experience but I’ve learnt a lot. Firstly, always keep going and never give up and lastly, what doesn’t kill you, really does make you stronger. Cheers!