Thread of Love – Rakhi: Aaradhya’s NICU Story Through the Eyes of Her Young Brother

Curious. Critical thinker. Spelling bee champ. NFL whiz. These are just some of the words used to describe 9-year-old Arjun. But to his younger sister, 5-year-old Aaradhya, he’s best known as big brother.

Last year, an instructor at his local reading and math program encouraged Arjun and his classmates to participate in a summer writing contest. For topic inspiration, the instructor shared a few pictures, including one of two siblings looking through a window with their backs facing the camera. This inspiration led young Arjun to create a beautiful, handwritten, hand-illustrated short story about his sister’s 2020 NICU journey at Children’s Mercy.

Woven throughout Arjun’s story are references to Rakhi, a Hindu festival celebrating the bond between brothers and sisters. During Rakhi, the sister ties the Rakhi, a sacred thread of love, around her brother’s wrist and asks for his promise to protect her. Little did the family know just how much protection they would need in 2020.

“My water broke at 25 weeks, so I had a pretty traumatic pregnancy and experience considering it was during COVID,” says mom Sravani. “I spent a week in the ICU at a local hospital and Aaradhya, who was born weighing less than 2 pounds, was transported to Children’s Mercy, where she spent almost 60 days in the Small Baby Unit of the NICU.”

Dad, Ashok, was traveling back and forth between hospitals checking on his wife and daughter, while Arjun was home being cared for by his grandparents. During this journey, the family relied on the team at Children’s Mercy to care for Aaradhya when they couldn’t be there. They especially remembered a few of the NICU nurses, Rebekah, Rachel and Molly, who left a special imprint on their hearts.

“I remember placing Aaradhya on Arjun’s lap for the first time — she was always so at peace when she was in his lap,” said Molly Buford, BSN, RN, CBC. “It was great to be with their whole family at the bedside to share those special moments with them.”

When Aaradhya was ready to leave the hospital, after 119 days, she went home in style. Read Arjun’s story, “Thread of Love – Rahki,” to find out how the family celebrated that milestone day.

Today, Arjun is still the big brother protecting his little sister, but the tables have turned a bit. Sravani describes Aaradhya as a “mini tornado!” She’s a social butterfly and when Arjun is hesitant to mingle, she makes sure to get him in the mix, so she’s really taking care of him.

When reflecting on her family’s experience with Children’s Mercy, Sravani said, “You guys have a phenomenal team. You do God’s work!”