Nipah victim aspired to become a nurse in UAE

Lini (centre, wearing black) together with her family.

The Keralite nurse who died after contracting the deadly Nipah virus aspired to "come work in the Gulf", according to her husband Sajish Puthussery.
Before she passed away, Lini Puthussery penned a heartfelt note to her husband, as "she was scared she would die without seeing me," Sajish told Khaleej Times.
"I reached Kozhikode Monday morning, but I couldn't speak to her. She had an oxygen mask over her face. I was told that she was conscious till she passed away," he said.
Also read: Please take my little ones to Gulf, Nipah virus victim's last words to her husband
Also read: UAE expats to sponsor education of children of Nipah victim
Sajish last spoke to his wife on Thursday before she left for Kozhikode Medical College. Lini is also survived by her two sons, Ridhul (7) and Siddharth (2).
The heroic nurse passed away on Monday. The day before she died, she left the heart-wrenching note for her husband in Malayalam and English, knowing she did not have much time left. She asked her husband to pro-vide their children with the best education and take them with him to the Gulf.
Speaking to Khaleej Times from Kozhikode, Kerala, Sajish said his wife was a hardworking and dedicated nurse. "She wanted to move to the Gulf, but didn't want to be dependent on me," said Sajish, an accountant working in Bahrain.
"I haven't decided anything yet. I know she wanted me to take the children to Bahrain, but I might not be able to take care of them on my own."
Meanwhile, Lini's brother-in-law Jayakumar Velom, married to her sister Liji said: "Lini wanted to find a job in the Gulf region, to support her children and her aged mother. She tried many times but couldn't get anything."
A long-time Sharjah resident, Velom runs a grocery shop at Al Nahda park. He added: "We come from an ordinary family. We've never had the means to bring our families here on visit visas or anything.
"Everything happened so fast. She got sick Thursday night and died on Monday. I last spoke to her on Friday, a day before she was transferred to Kozhikode Medical College for further treatment."
Lini has two sisters - Liji and Libi - and an aged mother, Radha. Her father passed away in 2010, and Lini got married in 2012. "When I spoke to her on Friday, she said she was exhausted, but she was coping. However, by Sunday I learned from my wife that she did not have much hope of living any longer."
The young nurse studied nursing in Mangalore and worked in Bangalore for a short while, before getting a job at MIMS Calicut. "After she had her first baby, she took up the job at Perambara Government Hospital," he added.
Velom, who was overcome with grief mid-conversation, said: "She was a sweet girl, and I loved her more than my sister. She was the kind of person who worked very hard and gave her entire salary to the family."
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• Sharjah
• India

Dhanusha Gokulan

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com