Straight from a survivor

Although law student Gunjan Saxena was reluctant to travel from London she did so on March 17 a day before India shut its airspace for UK flights on March 18 She hadnt seen her family in over six months but when she arrived home Saxena headed straight to the guest room to quarantine herself without being able to even hug her mother However she started displaying mild symptoms on March 21 and before she knew it she was the first to test positive in Bhopal What is it like to experience and survive a deadly disease Podcasting platform Suno Indias new episode deepdives into Saxenas recovery process In an interview with us the 27yearold shares what kept her going and why Indians dont need another reason to further discriminate among each other Edited excerptsWhat kind of symptoms did you experience initially and how bad did it get eventuallyI was fine the first few days but on March 21 I woke up with a sore throat and a mild chest pain something I hadnt experienced before Because of my travel history my sample was taken Scared that I might infect others I moved to our farm house only to be taken away to the quarantine facility the next day when I tested positiveHonestly it all happened too quickly My vitals were nearly stable in the first two to three days but later my temperature shot up and there was a lot of head and body ache There was severe chest congestion and cough That was scary but I had read up enough to know that one has to ride it out I was at the quarantine centre for 13 days and in the last four days I recovered fullyYour father also tested positive within days How did both of you copeWhen I heard that my father also tested positive I was heartbroken because my worst fear had come true It was odd because I had maintained more than sixfoot distance from all family members But later my father said that after I had left he had gone into the room to collect my documents before sanitising the place Maybe thats how he got it Thankfully he didnt suffer much despite his age We were in the same facility on opposite sides of a large room so it was comfortingWhat was the most challenging part of the recovery processMore than the disease what really impacted me was the sheer amount of fake news and stigma Even before I reached the quarantine centre a local newspaper had published that I tested positive People dug up old photos of me and my friends Random forwards did the rounds claiming I chilled with my friends after travelling from London and that someone who parties will contract the disease I was taken aback at the slander I was even referred to as the Corona girl It was hurtful for my family members especially my father who is a senior journalistGunjan Saxena and her father spent around 13 days at a quarantine centre in BhopalOn one of the days someone sent a message saying I was in a neardeath situation and my mother freaked out In the first few days of the lockdown no one in my area was willing to deliver essentials to her One of my neighbours apparently asked a delivery boy to not cross our house It made me realise that in a socially fragmented country like ours this was just another reason to discriminateHow did you manage to keep your spirits highI had read up thoroughly about COVID19 and knew what to expect More than the disease I tried to keep my mind off the fake news I doodled a lot got back to writing some shayari and followed up on class presentations I always wanted to read the Rig Veda which I finished The doctors had advised me to do some breathing exercises and pranayam which helped Being a hyperactive person I followed Sara Ali Khans workout routine in the first couple of days till I got really sick While it was a difficult phase what counted was the way in which my friends relatives and a few neighbours stood up for me on social media helped my mother with essentials and were there for usLog on tosunoindiainWords of wisdomIf someone tests positive they should strictly follow protocol eat well and practise breathing exercises like pranayam says SaxenaWhile we need to maintain physical distance this is the time to support each other and not socially isolate someone who is affected she addsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news