His brother, Rohit Guglani, 41, was the first in the family to test positive for the virus. (Representational)

All Mohit Guglani, 39, could think about as he donated plasma at Medanta hospital in Gurgaon on Saturday morning was his parents — and how he was doing it for them.

The Paschim Vihar resident lost both his parents to complications arising from Covid-19 in June. After returning from Haridwar, completing the rituals after his parents’ deaths, Mohit decided to donate plasma. His father too had been administered plasma at Max Saket.

His brother, Rohit Guglani, 41, was the first in the family to test positive for the virus. “My wife, child and I got tested on June 1. We were in quarantine and stayed separate from our parents. But, somehow, it spread to my parents and brother. They began showing symptoms on June 10. They got tested on June 12, after which my mother was admitted to Ayushman Dwarka and father to Max Saket,” said Rohit.

Their mother, 67, had underlying issues such as diabetes and passed away on June 17. Their father, 72, had chronic kidney illness and was put on a ventilator at Max Saket. They both had similar symptoms, which included high fever, followed by breathlessness and low oxygen levels.

Rohit said, “We did not know how to break the news of our mother’s passing to our father. They had been together for a long time — life partners — and we did not want to give him a shock. But eventually, we had to tell him and he broke down.”

The brothers tried to instill hope in their father’s mind, telling him that he still had dreams to be fulfilled. They said that he was working on building a 200-feet idol of Vishnu in Vrindavan.

“But he passed away on June 28, even after testing negative for the virus… Till June 26, we were very positive about his recovery. The doctors were planning to shift him to the non-Covid ward. But his situation worsened on June 27. He had a cardiac arrest, but it really was Covid and its aftermath,” said Mohit.

The brothers did not let the loss deter them from helping someone in need.

Recalling the night when they tried to arrange plasma for their father, Rohit said, “It took hours to arrange it, but a number of unknown people came forward to donate. It is our responsibility to continue this chain of humanity.”

He added that he had been on the move for the last few years but his brother, Mohit, was inseparable from the parents. “They were staying in the same house and would eat together. So it has been especially traumatic for him.”

Mohit’s wife and child were at his in-laws’ house the entire time and did not contract the virus. Donating plasma, Mohit said, took 40 minutes. What has kept him going is that he would help save a patient in need.

When Sunny Khera, the volunteer who helped them arrange plasma for their father, contacted them, both of them agreed to donate plasma instantly.

However, Rohit has not been able to donate because his blood pressure was slightly high. He plans on donating once it has normalised.