Health and Death
Kasturba suffered from chronic bronchitis due to complications at birth. While her husband could move his mind from one thing to another, she would sometimes brood over troubles. Stress from the Quit India Movement's arrests and hard life at Sabarmati Ashram caused her to fall ill. Kasturbai fell ill with bronchitis which was subsequently complicated by pneumonia.
In January 1944, Kasturba suffered two heart attacks. She was confined to her bed much of the time. Even there she found no respite from pain. Spells of breathlessness interfered with her sleep at night. Yearning for familiar ministrations, Kasturba asked to see an Ayurvedic doctor. After several delays(which Gandhi felt were unconscionable), the government allowed a specialist in traditional Indian medicine to treat her and prescribe treatments. At first she responded—recovering enough by the second week in February to sit on the verandah in a wheel chair for a short periods, and chat then came a relapse. The doctor said Ayurvedic medicine could do no more for her.
To those who tried to bolster her sagging morale saying "You will get better soon," Kasturba would respond, "No, my time is up." Even though she had a simple illness. Shortly after seven that evening, Devdas took Gandhi and the doctors aside. The doctors pleaded fiercely that Ba be given the life saving medicine, though Gandhi refused. It was Gandhi, after learning that the penicillin had to be administered by injection every four to six hours, who finally persuaded his youngest son to give up the idea. Gandhi didn't believe in modern medicine. After a short while, Kasturba stopped breathing. She died in Gandhi's arms while both were still in prison, in Poona(now Pune).
Read more about this topic: Kasturba Gandhi
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