Chaitanya Nitai das, Health Updates

Update on Chaitanya
Jan 3^rd 2011
Since our last blog three or four months ago Chaitanya has been mostly situated in the extremely good spinal unit in Christchurch New Zealand. The spinal unit was started by the father of a very old school friend of mine and although he is now retired we were very happy to be able to meet with the family again. His father was a very fine doctor and John (my friend) had become the Chief Surgeon at Christchurch Hospital before he unfortunately contracted cancer and had to retire.
During this time we had a very good visit from his sister Kishori Mani who was fired up after having spent over two months on the Polish festival tour with Indradyumna Swami and all the devotees.
Chaitanya really appreciated her visit and they had some nice discussions together. I have attached some pictures of the two of them on a wheelchair outing on the hospital grounds (The Hospital is in the country).

 We also had nice visits from our relatives (My brother and his family and Radhasundari’s sister from Auckland) which also helped revive Chaiti’s spirits.
Mani and I then returned to India where Mani had to go back to school and I was able to return to getting my business going again.
Radhasundari stayed on in NZ with Chaiti. The devotees in Christchurch have been very generous in their time and support, particularly Hari Kirtan, Yamuna and Saradia who opened their house and hearts to us all. And Phil and Cath Bidwell were wonderfully instrumental in helping to make all the arrangements for us to ease our transition into yet another new hospital and country.
During his stay there Chaitanya had been working every day at a very well equipped gym and made slow but steady progress. He had walked 400 meters (to the Gym and back) unaided! He has crutches but didn’t need to use them (He is still a bit wobbly).
His bowel and bladder function still need work but we are hopeful there will be much improvement over time.
His pain management is still much needed and the fractures in his sacrum  (the  large, triangular bone at the base of the spine) are not fully healed which still causes him a lot of discomfort especially when he sits.
Radhasundari has had a difficult time during these last few weeks as Chaitanya continued to be very demanding. All the Psychologists and other medical practitioners have agreed that he is a very complicated case and it may take many months if not years for him to fully normalize psychologically. He is fine most of the time, but he has a certain percentage of the time where he acts without awareness of the social norms and he can be very abusive (particularly with his mother which has made her life miserable at times). Even though he still needs some psychological work his attitude is improving, and if we look at where he was 11 months ago, he has made remarkable progress mentally, emotionally and physically.

In mid December I went back to NZ to help Radhasundari get Chaiti out of the hospital as he was to be discharged before Christmas. Things went reasonably well and we then all went to Auckland for a family reunion with Radhasundari’s brother and two sisters and various family and relatives. With the generosity of her aunt in NZ mania los joined us so we were all together again for a few days.

His 10 days or so with the family (various aunts, uncles and cousins) in Auckland was very progressive. Apart from a couple of small incidents where he stubbornly refused to participate he interacted very well with most of his relatives. Got up for all his meals and family events, went swimming twice (Victoria’s sister, where we stayed, has a very nice big house right on the beach in Auckland) and generally participated quite well

Chaiti and I then travelled back to India and arrived in Mumbai two days ago after couple of lengthy flights and a transit stopover in Singapore of about 8 hours. All went well and he was a model passenger. Cooperative and respectful with the flight attendants and hotel staff (We stayed in the airport transit hotel for 6 hours where he managed his bowels, etc.).
We are now booked into the Bhaktivedanta Hospital and getting to grips with things here.

After that our future is somewhat uncertain but our plan is to bring Chaiti back Mayapur.  We are currently investigating the best alternatives.

In the meantime Radhasundari is taking a few well earned weeks off staying on in Christchurch to recharge her exhausted batteries.

Thank you all for your prayers and support over this last year. We wish you all a happy, healthy, prosperous and spiritually rewarding 2011.

With Much Love and Affection
Advaita Candra das
Radhasundari dasi
Kishori Mani dasi
Chaitanya Nitai das

Chaiti Blog Update August 23, 2010
With the kind assistance of Victoria/Radha’s sister we were able to get Chaiti down to New Zealand by Singapore Airlines. They were chosen as they were the only airline that flew with one stop to Christchurch – our final destination. We stopped in Singapore for about 4 hours and stayed in a very good medical facility there in the airport. We gave him some heavier pain medication there and that really worked as he stretched out in Business class (we had to travel this because he cannot sit for any more than about 15 mins at a time) and went to sleep for the whole 9 and half hours.
The arrival in NZ was uneventful and he was booked into the Christchurch medical system and moved to the Burnside Spinal Unit which is a world class facility and quite impressive as are the staff.
The devotees here have been very helpful, providing accommodation and loaning a car, bringing meals to the hospital etc. I would especially like to thank, Cath and Phil Bidwell who helped enormously with making the arrangements and loaning their car until I could get one, Hari Kirtan and Yamuna for being so generous with their house, time and advice on where to get stuff, what to buy and helping find a great car. Ramila as usual was always there, baked a great cake and kept loading us with meals.
Seems like Chaiti is settling in OK, but still some way from developing full trusting relationships with the staff here who are a little more firm on things than those in India. I think this is good for him in the long run.
Victoria/Radha will be leaving in couple of weeks with Mani and we will see what develops from there. My brother and sister-in-law were just here over the weekend visiting from Wanaka (down South) and had a very good couple of visits with Chaiti who appreciated them and their support very much.
Chaiti’s rehabilitation starts this week with a new program of physio and occupational therapy, culminating in a major meeting on Friday with the whole team (Orthopedic specialist, urologist, physio, occupational therapist and pain management specialist) who will discuss his program and set goals with him for his stay here.
I have posted a couple of pictures of him with his uncle and aunt here today.
Love from us all.

Since the last entry we have been in Vrindavan for several weeks where we have been better able to manage Chaitanya and the costs involved in his care. The devotee doctor there (Shyamvallabha Prabhu) did a wonderful job but recently left for Europe for two months and we had to find another facility for his care as there is no one else in Vrindavan who can provide what is needed.

 Chaitanya’s case is very complex. He has severe psychological issues as well as significant physical injuries. This means his rehabilitation is complicated, as most medical facilities are either primarily mentally based or medically based. It is rare to find a place with the facility to address both concerns simultaneously.

After months of searching we have at last managed to find such a place in Delhi . The Indian Spinal Injuries Center is the largest facility in Asia where they specialize specifically in the rehabilitation of patients with spinal injuries. Their doctors include urology specialists who work to get bladder and bowel functions working properly again, orthopedic surgeons and psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors. In addition they have an enormous physiotherapy department with a huge variety of specialized equipment, and the physiotherapists themselves are very knowledgeable, positive and helpful. On a daily basis everyone on the hospital team is treating people with spinal injuries, compromised bladder and bowel function, depression and psychological problems, so they are all very experienced in dealing with the problems that Chaiti is facing. Three weeks ago we moved Chaitanya in here during this interim period while we try to figure out our next move.

Overall it looks very promising and we are hopeful that within a couple of months the worst will be behind us. Especially it gives hope to both Radhasundari/Victoria and I that there will be an end to the long nightmare where we have literally been living in hospital rooms with Chaitanya for the last six months. Radhasundari/Victoria has only been home once during this whole period and our 16 year old daughter Kishori Mani has really been feeling the separation, although she is a great kid and now with Indradyumna Swami on the Polish tour.

 Having arrived now however, at this very hopeful point in the process of his recovery, sadly we find ourselves nearly out of cash resources, having put everything we have into paying his medical bills . Although we had medical insurance, it was disallowed because of the circumstances, and we have, to date, (along with the generous help of friends and family), invested over $150,000 in Chaitanya’s multiple surgeries and rehabilitation.

We have been overwhelmed by the loving support and generosity of all of you dear souls who stepped forward to assist us in this challenging financial situation. We are eternally indebted to you for opening your hearts to our need and sharing in our burden. Because of you we are hopeful that one day soon Chaitanya will be able to walk again.

At this point we are a little bit at a loss as to what to do next and are assessing his position in the new hospital with the doctors to see how best to complete his rehabilitation. We are also proceeding immediately to get Chaitanya his New Zealand Citizenship which should be completed in the next two or three weeks. Both he and Mani qualify automatically “by descent” as both his mother and I were born there.

The main reason for this is that we are seriously investigating the possibility of getting him to NZ in the next few weeks to take advantage of the socialized medicine there which will help in his longer term rehabilitation and help relieve us of the enormous financial burden we have been under these last few months. There appears to be a very good hospital in Christchurch (Burwood) that also specializes in spinal injuries so we are exploring that. The head doctor there is known to the head of the Spinal Hospital here so that is helpful and we have been involving him in the ongoing dialog about Chait’s condition and progress

Of course if we go that route then we need to figure out how he will survive a 24 hour flight but I am sure there are ways to do it. If we put him in business class so he can lie down and take a doctor with us that can monitor his pain and help with the bowel and bladder challenges then hopefully we will make it down under all in one piece.

We will keep you posted on developments.

Thank you all for your ongoing support and prayers. You are our lifeline.

With love and gratitude Advaita Candra das (Alister) Radhasundari (Victoria) Mani and Chaiti

PS We have posted some pictures on the blog of Chaitanya in Thailand, Vrindavan and more recently in the Spinal Injury Hospital in Delhi.

Well, it has been 4 months since Chaiti’s incident in Mayapur. During that time we have been living in Hospital rooms virtually uninterrupted along with Chaitanya and on occasion, special nurses. So it has been very intense. A lot of lessons in tolerance.
We have been in a Kolkata Hospital (one month), Then to Bangkok (one month) then to Chiang Mai (One Hospital and One healing center) and finally back to Bangkok for the last two weeks to a very good rehabilitation center in the best Children’s hospital in Thailand. The doctor there was excellent and they had a great program to help Chaiti with his nerve recovery, training him to walk (a special water pool) and reuse his bladder and bowels more normally.
However we realized it was just becoming too much of a financial strain for us (it was costing between $500 and $1,000 per day depending on the treatments.) on top of the $125,000 or so that has already been invested in his surgeries and medical treatment. So we made the decision a few days ago to move back to India where we have an apartment, it is considerably cheaper and we have some good alternative healing resources.
Two days ago we arrived in Vrindavan and it was a blessing to be back in the association of the devotees. Shyamavallabha (Head of Food for Life’s new hospital here in Vrindavan) is leading the team of devotees who are working hard to get Chaiti’s mind and body back to the best it can be and we are very happy to be here. It is especially good for Radhasundari who as had an extraordinarily demanding and difficult time dealing with Chaitanya’s unpredictable moods.
We have full time nursing staff and are well situated in MVT were there is a friendly caring attitude from all the staff. We are also happy to see old friends who are living here as well as new faces.
It will be a while before Chaiti gets out of his room in a wheelchair so he can see the beautiful grounds and the new monkey control team. (3 handsome Langur or “Hanuman” monkeys, who are doing a great job at keeping the other rascals at bay).. But everyone is working hard to get him out of bed as soon as possible.
We are just settling in and it looks as though we will be here a while so we look forward to seeing anyone who comes thru here. Chaiti loves seeing devotees and we are looking forward to some nice kirtans in his room.

Thank you all for your ongoing prayers, love and support.

with love and gratitude

your servants

Advaita Candra das, Radhasundari dasi, Chaitanya Nitai das
and Kishori Mani dasi

To all our dear Family and Friends,

Sorry for the delays in updates but it has been very hectic. We are currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where we are staying between the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital and the Tao Garden Healing Centre with our son Chaitanya.

After a lot of treatment in the last few weeks it has become apparent that the badly damaged nerves in the sacrum area and lower spine are causing complications in his left leg and compromising control over his bowel and bladder. He has required round the clock nursing care to help him with these functional disabilities. He can’t stand and it is still too early to see how much he will physically recover, but the doctors’ prognosis indicates a good possibility that he will be able to walk in some way or other in the future.

Right now Chaiti is in a lot of pain – physical and emotional. His mental state is particularly fragile, especially considering that after trying to end his misery, he was unsuccessful. And now that mental state is compounded by a dramatically deteriorated physical condition. We are attempting to piece back his mind and soul along with the body, but obviously he will require ongoing rehabilitation, counseling and love.

His rehabilitation will take months if not years and we have a long healing journey ahead of us.

Now we have come to Chiang Mai in north Thailand to the excellent Tao Garden healing Center for his immediate rehabilitation along with the Chiang Mai Ram Hospital as a backup for his medical needs.

This situation has obviously caused a crisis in our family. On top of the tremendous emotional strain, heartbreak and 24/7 time needed to keep it all together over these past three months, there has been an overwhelming financial cost. Our medical insurance specifically excludes suicide attempts which has left us heavily burdened during one of the tightest financial positions we have ever experienced. The medical bills have passed the $100,000 mark and are mounting.

We are extremely grateful to those of you, dear family and friends, who have stepped forward to assist us so far. Through your kindness and generosity we have been able to complete the eight urgent operations needed to restructure Chaiti physically and he is now a marvel of titanium plates and screws holding his wrists, ankles and sacrum together. However even after three months of hospitalization, he is still confined to bed with casts on his legs. He cannot sit up or ride in his wheelchair without tremendous pain, and he requires a catheter to pass urine several times a day. He is very depressed about his life’s prospects. This is understandable for a 20 year old boy looking at a potentially greatly handicapped future.

By a stroke of divine synchronicity, here in Chiang Mai we have met a doctor who is a master in the area of stem cell therapy based on using the patient’s own stem cells, not from embryos or any other source. (Thailand is one of the only few countries in the world where it is presently legal to perform these treatments).

He examined Chaiti and concluded that he is an excellent candidate for the procedure. We learned that the success rate is very high in young people who have nerve damage because these particular stem cells, (mesenchymal stem cells), are especially good at assisting in the regeneration of nerves. Along with the enhanced opportunity of healing and recovery of all the broken parts of his body, we feel stem cell therapy would allow him the best possibility of pursuing as normal a life as possible in the future.

We are looking at going ahead with this procedure but it is obviously contingent on finances so we will have to see what the Lord has in store for us.
We are also very grateful that our dear friends Ekavira and Vraja Lila have been able to spend the last few weeks with us and Chaiti. They have been a tremendous help. Also un unexpected visit by Gokulananda from the UK was a blessing and cheered Chaitanya. He really appreciates the association of the devotees.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you all so very much for your loving prayers, thoughts, words and kind actions. This has been our real succor and shelter during this difficult time. Truly, we find our greatest fortune in the wonderful friends and family that you are!

Our best to you and all your families.
From our heart to yours
With love and gratitude

Alister, Victoria and Family
Advaita Candra das, Radhasundari dasi and family.

Chiang Mai 21st March 2010
Chaiti is recovering physically and at last we are out of the Hospitals which is a huge relief for all of us. We have been living with him in a hospital room for 2 months now and everyone is a little ragged!
He had casts put on both ankles a couple of days ago, just before we left the hospital and has recently been going to physio regularly and getting around in a wheelchair.
We are now in Tao Gardens which is a specialized rehabilitation center and integrative medicine clinic here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is run by an amazing person, Mantak Chia , who is a Grand Master in Tao and seems to have a real gift for healing. The center is quite extraordinary and combines physical and metaphysical healing therapies together for both the body and mind. It seems a good mix of specialized Western healing modalities along with Eastern, like acupuncture, massage etc. It also costs less, including 3 fabulous meals a day, than the outpatient residence centre we had originally planned on staying in next to the hospital in Bangkok, so that is a big plus!
We are hopeful he will improve significantly now we are here and can take full advantage of the facilities without having to worry about infections, antibiotic drips, dressing wounds etc. There is still a lot of work for his care givers (primarily Radhasundari who has borne the brunt of the work and has done whatever has been needed with great love and fortitude), and we still need nursing facilities to help take care of a lot of his bodily needs.
With his mental health now becoming a priority we are using the various emotional healing techniques and other programs at Tao Gardens to work on this aspect of his healing. We are also very much looking forward to a visit next week from Braja Lila and Ekavira who, as many of you know, are expert in the field of counselling. They have already established a loving relationship with Chaiti and hopefully will be able to steer him through some of the mental and emotional blocks to his fully recovering and healing as a whole and happy person.
It will be many more weeks though until we are out of the woods and it looks as though he and Radhasundari will remain here in Thailand during this time.
I will have to get back to work and see about making sure we can pay for all the bills which are mounting rapidly (one antibiotic alone he has been on for nearly 4 weeks costs $250 per day!)
The prayers and support of family, friends and the devotees have been his and our only strength in these very demanding weeks. Particlularly now that all his surgeries are completed and Chaitanya is getting better but beginning to realise the extent of his future bodily limitations and becomes quite depressed at times, we need your ongoing love and continued prayers more than ever.
From our heart to yours
With love and gratitude

Advaita Candra das, Radhasundari dasi, Kishori Mani dasi, Chaitanya Nitai das

Chaiti is doing better. Seems like he is sleeping better and the pain is subsiding. He has mad some outings in a wheel chair and is doing physio every day now.
There is still some chance of infection in the wounds which were obviously pretty expensive so we can’t get completely out of the Hospital yet but we are moving in that direction.
On Wednesday we are moving to another hospital in Chiang Mai which is in the mountains and a much better environment. In another week or so we are going to move from that hospital to a healing center with beautiful grounds and a lot of emotional healing facilities as well as acupuncture, physio, yoga etc. So we feel this will be a good place for starting his mental and physical rehabilitation.
He is eating better now and we have had some visitors form the local Hare Krishna Temple which has cheered him up.
We are all looking forward to getting out of Bangkok and into the mountains and eventually into the Tao Gardens where we expect to be for about three weeks before returning to Bangkok for another and hopefully final check up with the surgeon there.
The Tao Gardens will also be rejuvenating for us and especially Victoria Radha who has been living in Chaiti’s hospital room for the last 8 weeks. I have also been with him but had a couple of breaks.
Thanks again for all your love, prayers and support.

Today the doctors were very pleased with the progress of the wounds – even to the extent of now not needing a skin graft which means he won’t have to have any more operations. It also means that we should get out of the hospital in a week or so.
His physio is progressing also and he now is able to (with help) get in and out of a wheelchair. Today he is going to make his first outing to the very nice garden terrace they have here at the hospital.
The surgeon told him yesterday that he will need splints on both legs and special shoes to assist his walking once he has recovered. we are hoping for a better improvement than that but Chaiti is now gaining some undertsanding of the seriousness of his injuries.
He is still chanting strongly and praying to Lord Nityananda and his Guru for Their mercy. He is still dealing with the pain and we are trying to get some alternatives going to the heavy allopathic drugs he is taking.
Today one of our dear friends in San Diego has put Chaiti on the prayer circle at his old Waldorf SChool there.
Thank you all for your ongoing support and prayers. They are definitely helping.
I will see about putting some pictures up shortly

Yesrerday I arrived back in Thailand after being gone almost one week. There was a noticeable difference in Chaiti’s condition. The pain management was better and I attended his Physio session yesterday and he was able to move quite well and completed all the excercises required. This included a lot of leg and back movement with the objective of getting him into a wheelchair in a few days which will be a major step forward. His feet are healing slowly and the surgeon wants to now do a skin graft over the two most serious wounds. However one wound is still not clear of some infection so the Doctors want to wait a few more days which means we will be stuck in the hospital (at quite some expense – one antibiotic alone is costing $200 per day!) for another week, and then we will probably be here in Thailand until the end of the month.
The main thing now is the slow rehabilitaion and we are working on that although it seems as though it will take quite a while.
Radhasundari is doing the bulk of the work here and has been a tireless coach and support for Chaitanya, doing without sleep and making many sacrifices.
Thanks again for all your well wishes and prayers. They are much appreciated and I am sure the main ingredient contributing to his slow but sure recovery. Especially now that we will be addressing not just his physical but mental and emotional condition we shall be needing your love and support more than ever.
Love from all of us
Advaita Candra das, Radhasunadari dasi, Chaitanya Ntai das and Kishori Mani dasi