KOTTAYAM: What could have been just another medical procedure has turned out to be an extraordinary literary collaboration -- all sparked by a dog! In a rare moment, a doctor and a patient have come together to co-author a detailed account of their shared experience in an operation theatre, culminating in an ‘auto/pathographic’ memoir.
‘Thank DoG’ recounts the events surrounding a medical emergency from the perspectives of the doctor and the patient. The writers: orthopaedic surgeon Mathew K M Puthiyidom and academic Jyothy Sreedhar.
It all started when Jyothy -- an assistant professor of English with the Sree Vidyadhiraja NSS College in Vazhoor -- met with an accident on October 22, 2024. She fell from her scooter after a dog jumped in front of the two-wheeler. For most other people, it would have been a distressing event. Not for Jyothy. Rather than sulk over the injuries, she decided to explore the difficulties and the coping mechanisms of persons with disabilities.
Jyothy’s experience ultimately inspired Dr Mathew -- who works with the St Thomas Hospital in Chethipuzha, Changanassery -- to pour out his mechanical daily routine in words and embark on a novel journey into the world of literature.
“Our collaboration arose from an accident involving a dog, which is why we chose the title ‘Thank DoG’,” Jyothi tells TNIE.
“I sustained a double fracture on my left forearm and injured my left knee in the accident. It could have been traumatic, but my experience in the operation theatre was quite different. The procedure was accompanied by soothing melodies, with the doctor himself humming along.”
The three-part memoir has Jyothy and Dr Mathew recounting their experiences in two separate parts, while the third captures the conversations that led to the creation of the book.
“Jyothy approached me to write a brief afterword comprising four or five pages for her book chronicling her experiences in the hospital,” Dr Mathew says.
“However, as I began to write, it evolved into a more comprehensive account, reflecting my routine life in the hospital and various aspects I encountered while treating her.”
Interestingly, he found time to write amidst his busy surgery schedule.
“It was a different experience for me. I jotted down notes for the book during intervals between cases (surgeries). The fascinating aspect is that while I was helping Jyothi regain her health and ensure she walks again, she taught me to transform those steps into written words,” Dr Mathew says.
Their ‘surgical strike’ turned a potentially traumatic situation into a most unforgettable experience of a lifetime. Jyothy says she employed an interlude narrative technique, drawing inspiration from Italo Calvino’s ‘If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller’, engaging readers deeply with the subject.
The writers have also released a Malayalam version of the book.
With both books garnering positive responses amid widespread discussion on social media, Jyothi often soliloquises: “Dog, do you hear? Your story has inspired two books.”