A Tribute To Sampa Basu
Sampa Basu, born on 8th of August 1961 was a loving mother, a beautiful wife and an adorable grandmother. She was raised in the city of Kolkata, India in a very tightly knit Bengali family. She was the second eldest of the three children to Shibendra Kumar Pramanick.
She had such an amazing soul, and possessed this incredible ability to find kindness and love in everyone. She was admired by everyone who knew her closely. From my earliest childhood memories, I remember her as someone who always put the happiness and needs of her family before anything. Being the younger of her two children, I am probably guilty of getting the most amount of love from her. She loved listening to classical Bengali music, especially Rabindra Sangeet. She loved to dress and travel. Her favorite moments include our weekly trip to the movie theatre and dining at a restaurant.
After spending most of her life in Kolkata, she moved to Delhi as my father started a new job there. She took care of the whole family, while me and my sister were finishing up our high school and undergrad studies respectively. In 2012, she and my father temporarily migrated to Jakarta, Indonesia. She made many friends, and enjoyed her time travelling and living in a foreign country.
During her time in Indonesia in 2015, she began to show some neurological problems. After a few failed diagnoses, she was finally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2016. But within a year, we realized that her symptoms were diverging from a regular Parkinson’s patient. Eventually, she was diagnosed with PSP-P in Delhi.The whole family gave their very best, especially my father to find some kind of a way out for her.
She showed amazing grit, and dedication to get better, and slow the progressive disease down. But finally, after a very brave fight, she gave in to a battle which couldn’t be won. Swallowing difficulty led to an aspiration problem in the lungs. She passed away very peacefully on the dawn of 31st of December 2020, with a hint of smile on her face. She was only 59 years young. Her demise was devastating for the entire family but we took solace from the fact that she had been relieved of her pain by God’s blessings, and her soul rests in peace in heavenly abode.
Me and my sister are blessed to have an amazing family around us, who helped us see through these tough times. I am sure that our mother would like us to remember her as she was before she got sick. Therefore, our family is committed to celebrate her loving, caring and jolly energy alive.
We really appreciate your kindness and support. We are especially grateful to organizations like CurePSP that are dedicated to provide assistance and fund clinical research to find a cure for these rare degenerative diseases. Your donation will help serve the community and take a small step towards a day when no loved one is lost because of PSP.