He has blurry vision and finds it difficult to walk without support, but 98-year-old Sripathi Nayaben in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district has shown the world how to beat all odds with positivity, as he recovered from coronavirus and returned to normal life.
Nayaban is probably the oldest man in the country to have recovered from the deadly disease. He returned home on Wednesday evening, with doctors saying that the "man had been able to pull through as he had no comorbidities".
"Nayaban had been very positive about his recovery since the day he was brought here for treatment. And it actually did the trick. We did put in our best efforts, but his determination was commendable. Also, he had no comorbidity," Soumyadeep Chakraborty, who treated him in a private nursing home in Kankurgachi here, said.
Nayaban, a resident of Diamond Harbour area of South 24 Parganas, was taken to hospital on June 22 after his test results showed that he had contracted the disease, his son Kanakkanti said.
When approached, the 1922-born said, "I am totally fine... I am feeling better."
In Howrah, too, a 95-year-old man was discharged from a hospital on Wednesday after he emerged victorious in the war against the viral disease.
Gobindo Halder, a resident of Salkia area in the district, was taken to a nearby hospital on June 21, after he complained of Covid-19-like symptoms. He tested positive for the highly contagious disease the same day.
He was, however, discharged from the hospital as he tested negative twice for the disease.
"Halder has recovered fully, but he is still weak as he had pneumonia. Mentally, however, he is very strong. His recovery has been quick partially because of his willpower and determination," a senior doctor at an Uluberia hospital, where he was treated, said.
A senior official of the state health department said the fight put up against the disease by Nayaban and Halder should inspire one and all, amid the ongoing crisis.
"If men of their age can defeat the virus with their positivity and strength of will, others, too, should keep their hopes high. There is nothing to worry or hide. Such stories of recovery should inspire everybody," he added.