Tamil Nadu: 65-Year-Old Man Peddles Cycle for 130 KMs to Take Wife for Her Chemotherapy Sessions at JIPMER Hospital in Puducherry

Puducherry, April 12: With the coronavirus lockdown in place, many serious patients are feeling the pinch of it. In an incident of love for wife, a 65-year old man -- Arivazhagan -- from a village near Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu pedalled 130 kms to reach JIPMER hospital in Puducherry, so that his wife did not miss her chemotherapy session. The person has been identified as a daily-wage labourer.

According to a report, published in the New Indian Express, Arivazhagan pedalled for 130 kms on his bicycle -- along with his 60-year old wife Manjula -- to reach Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) hospital in Puducherry on march 31, 2020. He took all the trouble for his wife's chemotherapy session, as public transport in Tamil Nadu has been cut amid coronavirus lockdown. Tamil Nadu Govt Announces Further Curbs on Public Movement to Control COVID-19 Spread.

It is to be known that the 130 kms distance from Arivazhagan's village to JIPMER hospital in Puducherry takes about three hours in a four-wheeler. But, for Arivazhagan, it took him around 16 hours to reach the hospital. Arivazhagan made his wife sit on the carrier of his bicycle and tied her body to his using a towel. They began at around 4.45 am and reached JIPMER hospital at about 10.15 pm.

Though the Out Patient Department (OPD) and the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) of the hospital were closed, but after hearing their tale, hospital staff decided to give Manjula the needed treatment. After the treatment, the couple were sent back home the next day in an ambulance.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 12, 2020 03:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).