Building life brick by brick: Preethi Babu is an exemplary fighter

People who complain about wants have a lot to learn from Preethi Babu (41), a resident of Vezhaparambil in Nedumkandam in Idukki district of Kerala. She does not fret over carrying her 20-year-old son suffering from hydrocephalus on her shoulders to a computer centre on the third floor of a building; running a beauty parlour, stitching centre and a small teashop; taking her son to school and college by car and wheelchair; building a house with her husband without employing workers and taking care of her husband and daughter who suffer from heart diseases. Engaged in so many tasks, Preethi is watched by residents of the town in awe.

Preethi’s life took a dramatic turn after the birth of her first child Christo. Doctors found that the infant suffered from hydrocephalus, a disease in which fluid gets collected in the brain. Two surgeries were conducted on the third day of the child's birth. However, both surgeries failed. Christo was discharged 30 days after he was born. But soon the baby was diagnosed with meningitis and admitted in the hospital again. A few days later, the baby was shifted to the house, but doctors told Preethi that she shouldn’t have much hope about her son.

When Christo was nine months old, Preethi took him to another hospital for treatment. Subsequently, 17 surgeries have been carried out on Christo so far, which included procedures to remove swelling on the spine and to straighten his legs. However, he still cannot walk or hold things in his hand.

Meanwhile, Christo’s mental development took place normally and he cleared SSLC (class 10 exam) with A-plus in all subjects. In plus-two (class 12), Christo secured A-plus grade in four subjects and A in two. He was also a regular winner in quiz events. Christo continued his studies at MES College, Nedumkandam by joining the BA History course. Till then, junior students had acted as scribes for Christo during exams, but after the first semester of the BA course, Preethi took on the role as no one was available. Christo was such a diligent student that he corrected every spelling mistake made by Preethi while writing the exam for him.

While appearing for the final semester exam, Christo’s eyes began drooping. Struggling to complete the answer to a question, he collapsed in the exam hall and was rushed to the hospital. Investigations revealed a clot in his brain, but Christo was not operated on. Instead, he was shifted to Idukki Medical College and was on a ventilator for two days and in the ward for two months. Meanwhile, his kidneys were damaged due to side effects of the medicines he took.

Christo now undergoes dialysis thrice a week at Idukki Medical College, which is 40 km from home. Taking him for dialysis in an electric auto-rickshaw has become a routine for Preethi and her husband Babu. Christo can now attempt his BA exams only in December and was enrolled in a computer course till then. With no computer centre in the town operating on the ground floor, Preethi is forced to carry Christo to the third floor.

Dream home
Preethi’s family earlier lived in a house located on a steep slope. From there, Christo was carried on the shoulders to the road below and taken to school in a car. During the rainy season, this was a laborious procedure. Considering these difficulties, Preethi and Babu decided to build a new house where Christo could move about independently on a wheelchair. As they faced huge medical expenses, Preethi and Babu began the construction work themselves to save costs. Babu worked as an electrician in the Gulf region, and his experience came in handy during the house construction.

The first capital for the house was an amount of Rs 2 lakh received by Christo for winning an award. A bank loan was also taken. Preethi and Babu literally built the house brick by brick. Tasks such as plumbing, flooring, electrical work and painting were done by Babu. Workers were employed only for concreting. Preethi’s dream home was finally ready after two years and seven months.

Heart problems
Along with Christo, Preethi also had to look after her daughter Christina, who was diagnosed with a hole in her heart three months after birth. Owing to this condition, pure and impure blood got mixed in Christina’s heart and she was admitted in Sri Chitra Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram (Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology). Doctors suggested open heart surgery and Christina recovered after spending a month in the hospital and underwent treatment for another three months staying outside.

Babu suffered a heart attack during the floods of 2018. At that time, it was Preethi who rushed him to a hospital 17 away in Kattappana in a car, driving along landslide-hit roads. Babu had three major blockages on the blood vessels in his heart and was subjected to two angioplasties. Doctors have suggested a bypass surgery to remove the third block. Incidentally, Babu was engaged in house construction even as he was suffering from health issues.

Preethi and Babu have another son – Chrisbin, who is a plus-one (class 11) student. Preethi had worked as a beautician in Bahrain and utilized that experience to launch her own beauty parlour named ‘Pink Diamond’ in Nedumkandam. A stitching centre is attached to the beauty parlour. Whenever she gets time after taking Christo for dialysis thrice a week, his computer studies and her household chores, Preethi works on the sewing machine to make the family’s future more secure.