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If she lives...

(Part 1/2) "My daughter died of Pneumonia. We rushed her to Kalagaun and then to the hospital in Nepalgunj. There the money ran out and so did her life. My granddaughter was only 45 days old when she...

Published29 March 2020
Reading Time 2 mins
Author Stories of Nepal
Location Nepal
If she lives...

(Part 1/2) "My daughter died of Pneumonia. We rushed her to Kalagaun and then to the hospital in Nepalgunj. There the money ran out and so did her life. My granddaughter was only 45 days old when she...

(Part 1/2) "My daughter died of Pneumonia. We rushed her to Kalagaun and then to the hospital in Nepalgunj. There the money ran out and so did her life. My granddaughter was only 45 days old when she lost her mother. She was tiny. She could not get the taste of her mother’s breast. For a while, the father took her back to his village. Some time had passed and I went to see the baby. I was shaken when I saw her. She had sores on her back for being kept in the cradle too long. She still has the scars. I knew that she was not receiving proper care and the more I looked into her sad eyes, the more it reminded me of my deceased daughter. I pleaded with my son in law to let me take her with me. But he did not let me. I had to return home alone with a pain in my heart. Not long after that, the father came with her. He must have changed his mind. He told how while on the bus, out of pity for the baby, the women passengers took turns in feeding her their breast milk. The father left. I remember him saying to me, 'If she lives, raise her. If she dies, throw her away.' " 

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