I am a bearer of sad news today. Our classmate from St. Anns Anita Bathina passed away on Sunday Jan 31, 2010 at 1:45 pm, in Hyderabad, India. She passed away after facing a brave and uphill battle with cancer.
She is survived by her husband Raghu and two sons Neil and Ved ages 8 and 4 respectively.
Anita and I became very good friends after we moved to Bay area in 1993. There are some people who have made a positive impact in my life. She was one of them. We were always there for each other. We would confide with each other on various issues. She would always tell me to enjoy life. That was her mantra. She planned weekend getaways with us and told me to live a little. She loved dancing. She told me that it relieved her stress. Loved to shop. She knew in and out of Valley Fair Mall. She was either buying clothes or returning them. I would always tease her about it. She would ask me to dress up. She would buy clothes for me from Bangalore and Hyderabad.
She always wanted to have kids. When Neil was born, she was thrilled. Neil and my son are really good friends. She and I would always plan everything to do with our kids futures. We would laugh about it all the time. With Ved, her joy had no bounds. She was a great mom. Thoughtful, caring, loving, always there for them.
When she went through chemotherapy, in Bay area, she would tell me that family is the most valuable thing in the whole world. "Nothing else matters, Jyothi", were her frequent words. I promised that I would her visit her every week during her chemo sessions, but I did not keep my word. I visited her alternate weeks. When I cried, she would tell me to be strong.
I visited her in India in October '09. She looked very weak and when I asked her she told me that she had stomach flu. Little did I know that I will not be seeing her again.
I pray for her peace and I would like her to know if she is watching that I will be there for her kids always.
I pray that God gives Raghu and the kids the strength to go through these difficult times.
Anita, my friend.... I will always remember and love you
Jyothi Chillara CPA, MST
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
dear raghu: so sorry to hear the news. we are missing anita and her fondness of ciceros pizza. anita and i used to talk about that every time we meet. i know it is very difficult to bear the pain and you have to be strong for the kids. we will be in constant communication with you. we will pray for anita's safe passage. be strong. thx.
ReplyDelete