It was late in the night. A young couple and their 3 year old little girl were sleeping in their brand new house that they had moved into exactly a week prior. Their suburban neighborhood was brand new with only about 7 or 8 houses built and many more under construction. They were expecting their second child in a couple of months.

The young woman woke up in the middle of the night and asked her husband to switch on the light. She thought she had accidentally wet the bed. But when the lights were on, both were shocked to see that it was actually blood. She had hemorrhaged.

They rushed to the hospital, about a half hour ride on their motorbike, after leaving their little girl at the grandparent’s. There were no cabs to be found at that time in the area.

The OBGYN, one of the best in the city was very concerned. The situation was complicated. The baby was coming out over 2 month early and the mother was hemorrhaging. She told the dad that she would do her best to save both. But she feared that she may only be able to save one.

Early the next morning, the mother survived. A baby girl was born. After this ordeal of a difficult birth and the initial days of seeing through the survival of their child, they named her Pratibha. Later she called herself Thibu.

If my parents were alive today, I am sure they would be the most excited about my birthday. I’m thinking of them and of what they went through on that day many years ago. They did an awesome job in bringing up two lovely girls in the short time spent together. I will always celebrate this special day for them and what they went through.