Our local newspaper reports that a 53 year old mother delivered a healthy baby boy at one of the elite hospitals of Pune. Apparently she and her husband had been trying to produce a child for the past thirty years without success. They had visited a number of doctors and clinics and nothing worked till now.
Unfortunately, I am unable to give a link to the story as that particular story has not been published online. I wonder why! I have scanned the item for this post to show how it featured in the bottom of the front page of the newspaper. You can click on the image to enlarge it and read the article as it appeared on the first page.
They come from an orthodox rural family/community in Karnataka an adjoining state to our own Maharashtra. The husbands seven brothers all have been prolific and there are many children and the lady has been subject to all kinds of ridicule and rejection. Typical in many families of our great nation.
She was fortunate in her husband who has stood by her all these years as, usually, men over here, use this as an excuse to get married again. Often the parents of the woman concerned also acquiesce. It is quite common to see the man married to the younger sister of the childless first wife so that a child can be created.
The doctor at the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Endoscopy Center, in an interview says that she was reluctant for long to entertain the hopefuls but eventually agreed to expose the lady to IVF and the result has been spectacular. A baby and that too a male. Both the parenets are ecstatic as is the lady’s sister who accompanied her to the ordeal. Now the lady and her husband can walk erect in their village and among their community members.
My congratulations to them.
I wonder if they have considered one important fact. When the boy hits his teen ages, they will be 66 and 69 years old. When the lad finishes school the father will be over 70. Have they given some thought to all that lies ahead for them?