Against the Big C, in pressing conditions

Devika Bahudhanam, who worked closely with team ‘Baahubali’, opens up on her health challenges and her son’s rare chromosomal disorder

A collection of Hot Wheels cars is spread on a table. Dhruv, 21, his mother Devika Bahudhanam and younger brother Dheer, 9, are quizzing each other and identifying the cars. At first glance, this looks like regular family banter. Behind this happy photograph is a story of a family soldering on despite multiple challenges.

World over, owners of rare Hot Wheels cars take pride in their collection and exhibit them at international events. That is not in the immediate scheme of things for Dhruv. The collection is a source of immense joy for Dhruv, who showed an astute skill for identifying cars since childhood, even in low visibility conditions when the features were barely visible. This ability stood out, given that otherwise he was termed a slow learner, required speech therapy and occupational therapy to help better his motor skills. At the age of eight, he was diagnosed with a rare chromosomal disorder termed ‘49,XXXXY syndrome’.

“I was told maybe one in a lakh children have this condition. Lakhon mein ek,” Devika says with a smile. Behind that smile is a journey of patience and perseverance to understand what her child was suffering from. Not knowing what sort of disability her child is growing up with, she had gone from pillar to post, until a doctor suggested chromosomal analysis.