Despite losing a member, Pindi family fights Covid-19

RAWALPINDI: For Haji Saleem Cheema of Rawalpindi, this has been a bittersweet week. He lost a beloved member of his family to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, but at the same time, he and his daughter have recovered from the same virus while two other family members are on the way to a full recovery.

Cheema, a renowned local political worker, had welcomed his sister-in-law and co-brother to his DAV College Road home last month, the couple having returned from the UK.

However, soon his guests started showing symptoms of the virus. As a precautionary measure, Cheema’s family, including his son and daughter, were shifted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology and Kidney Transplant (RIUKT) along with their foreign-returned relatives. The dreaded news came that Cheema, his daughter Rooma, his son Humair were positive along with his sister-in-law and co-brother.

After spending an agonising 14 days in isolation and under the watchful eyes of doctors, Cheema and Rooma got better. His sister-in-law, however, was not as lucky and succumbed to the virus.

Even as his wife’s sister was buried, Cheema and Rooma were allowed to return to the familiar surroundings of their home. Cheema’s son and his co-brother, though, remain in RIUKT, battling the virus.

Lounging on his sofa, Cheema’s face shows signs of the turmoil he has been through over the past two weeks. But when he speaks, he sounds optimistic. “I hope that just like me and my daughter, my son and co-brother will prevail against Covid-19 very soon,” Cheema said.

He advised his friends and neighbours to take all the precautionary measures being listed by the government to protect themselves, lest they have to battle with the virus in an isolation chamber.

The optimist in Cheema hoped that the virus would be eradicated from the country soon, allowing it to return to the road of happiness and progress once again.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2020.