From sorrow and despair to joy and celebration, a family in Uttar Pradesh travelled a long journey of emotions in a short span as a woman declared brain-dead by doctors came back to life, credits to a pothole.
The incident reportedly took place on the Bareilly-Haridwar NH-74, where a pothole proved lucky for Vineeta Shukla, who was declared brain-dead by doctors last month after suddenly fainting while managing work at her home on February 22.
Her upset and shattered family was bringing her back home on February 24 for her last rites after doctors at the hospital told them there was “no hope of survival”, Times of India reported.
“She was not breathing. There was only a sinking heartbeat,” Vineeta’s husband Kuldeep Kumar Shukla was quoted as saying by the publication as he narrated how the family was preparing for her funeral.
Funeral prep on, then a surprise
Amid shock and despair, a wave of hope emerged as the ambulance carrying Vineeta hit a pothole on the road. The otherwise insignificant development proved to be a big miracle for Vineeta’s family as she was revived back to life after the big jerk by the pothole.
“As the ambulance reached Hafizganj, it struck a large pothole and the vehicle moved violently,” Kuldeep told TOI, further describing how Vineeta, who earlier had a sinking heartbeat, started breathing normally after the jerk.
He said he asked his family to end all funeral preparations, rushed Vineeta to the Neurocity Hospital in Pilibhit and she was back home a day later, a feat Kuldeep described as “conquering death”.
What had happened to Vineeta?
According to TOI, Vineeta, who was employed at judicial courts in Pilbhit, collapsed while doing her household chores last month on February 22. She was referred to a medical facility in Bareilly for treatment, and was later declared ‘brain-dead’ by doctors.
She indicated “complete unresponsiveness” and had no brainstem reflexes when she was assessed at the Bareilly-based hospital. The information on her treatment there was received by a doctor in the Pilibhit-based hospital, where her husband took her following the miraculous recovery after the ambulance hit the pothole.
The Pilibhit doctor further added that the tests, diagnosis and subsequent treatment helped aid Vineeta’s recovery.
