Everything Will Be Fine

Three years ago I was running a 100 km race. It was very, very hot—extremely and unbearably hot. I was running fast—maybe too fast for this hot and sunny day. During the race everything was quite normal. I just felt a little bit sick in the stomach, but this is not unusual when you are running long distances, so I did not take it seriously. After finishing the race, I tried to relax in the medical tent, but I became more and more sick. When people asked me questions, my reactions became slower and slower, and my eyes bigger and bigger. My conscious awareness of what was going on became worse. They brought me to the hospital, because nobody really knew what was wrong with me. Seven hours after I had finished the race, my whole body started cramping and I lost consciousness. From that moment on I have no remembrance; I was in a coma. Afterwards the doctors told me that I had something very unusual, called edema. Water from the body rises into the brain and the brain wants to expand, but because there is no room for it to expand, it stops functioning—which usually leads to death. I was in a coma for three days. They almost operated on my brain, but fortunately, by Guru's grace, I became better. The doctors told my husband that there was hardly any chance that I would survive. Guru was informed immediately and said, "Everything will be fine. I am constantly with her. There will be no damage." And he was absolutely correct: I am now fine.

Shamita (Vienna)