A couple of months ago, a penniless actress -- Pooja Dadwal, who worked with Salman Khan in 1995 film Veergati -- tried to contact the superstar for financial aid via a video message on Twitter that went viral on the internet.
A few days later, when Salman learnt about Pooja's ill-health, he sent two bags of clothes and some gifts through his Being Human Foundation. And now, Pooja has finally been discharged healthier from Sewri TB Hospital in Mumbai. When she was admitted in the hospital in March, she weighed a mere 23 kg.
"Pooja fought this deadly bacteria only because of her willpower. When I first met her in the ward, she told me, 'I want to walk again, please do something so that I can stand on my feet and walk again'," Dr Lalit Anande, the medical superintendent of the hospital, told Mumbai Mirror.
Doctors told the daily that Pooja was facing major difficulties in breathing as both her lungs were infected. She was on oxygen support for almost two months. They added that the actress' health substantially improved thanks to the multi-vitamins and protein supplements provided with the help of Salman Khan's charitable foundation, Being Human, which helped build her immune system.
Pooja, who was abandoned by her family and friends, said that she has survived the ordeal only because of Salman Khan. She added that his foundation took care of everything - from clothes to soaps, diapers, food and medicines.
"I can't describe how I am feeling. When I was hospitalised on March 2, I thought I was going to die there - bedridden in a corner of that depressing ward. My family and friends had abandoned me. I gave up all hope after the doctors told me that my lungs were severely affected. Incessant coughing and breathlessness had left me weak," said Pooja, who is now headed to Goa after getting discharged from the hospital.
"And I saw so many like me, dying all alone – their friends and family, like mine, had deserted them. But then I decided that I don't want to end up like that. I decided to fight, to not let the disease win. Yes, one of the side-effects of tuberculosis is social rejection but I am really thankful to Salman Khan who lent me the support. From clothes to soaps, diapers, food, medicines, his foundation took care of everything. If I survived the ordeal, it is only because of him," she added.
Dr Anande said that though Pooja's latest CT scan report suggests that she is TB-free, the actress has to complete another month of treatment. Her reports stated that the lesions have reduced, her appetite is better, she has gained weight and her sputum is negative.
