I was not sure what I would even tell her. I
had debated hell of a lot about this call. Would she be tired of answering
endless such calls? Would she find it intrusive? But how could I not call? You
know what made it all the more difficult? It was her birthday that day… I never
miss her birthday; it is a day after my mom’s.
I picked up some courage and called her with
a lump in my throat and a stomach in knots. There I was, delivering a
condolence message, on her birthday, on the passing of her precious little boy,
all of 3 years old, who fought valiantly against high grade glioma, a rare and
aggressive brain tumour.
Being a parent is the only way you will know
how much love and sacrifice you are capable of. It will stun you to discover
how large hearted you can be. They say, along with the baby, parents are born
as well. Despite being a parent, I cannot even imagine what they must have
gone through during the course of the treatment. Awareness has become such a
loosely used word - the scale of the misconception about paediatric cancer is
appalling and scary. Sadly, paediatric cancer is still unspoken about at a
public level in India and support groups are virtually nonexistent.
Above all, children battling this
monster and their families need constant encouragement, support and hope.
However, not everybody can provide emotional support to these families, simply
because one cannot fathom what they go through, without actually having gone
through it. But what we can all do is connect people in need with other parents
who will be able to help. A small step in this regard is the presence of two
closed groups for Parents of Indian kids with cancers: Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma India & Pediatric Brain Tumor India (I
picked this up from my friend’s FB timeline)
Apparently, two of the largest children's
cancer NGO's in India raise less than 3 crores per year. So the next time you
feel philanthropic, please do consider donating to institutions / NGOs towards
care and treatment for paediatric cancer. In cash, in kind, volunteer… Really,
anything at all. I do not want to advocate any particular institution; a simple
google search will help you decide!
A million other questions are teeming in my
head. A shout out to my journalist friends here. Could you help with awareness?
What after awareness? We all know awareness means visibility, and with
visibility comes a greater hope of funding. But who is it who allocates funds?
What are the various avenues of gathering funds? What about research
facilities? Do we have any for paediatric cancer already? What is the status of
these institutions? I read, that in some parts of the country, gender
discrimination exists even in a condition as terrible as this. Are nurses
equipped to deal with children? Do their courses support and recognize the fact
that children need special care and attention? Or are there any trainers who
can help upskill hospital staff?
If you have noticed, I have titled this post
C is to Conquer and not C is for Cancer for a reason – Hope.
My earnest appeal to the few people who read
my blog – should you come across a suitable opportunity or forum to share/
provide any form of support related to this, please do so without batting an
eyelid. Your efforts will lead to may just lead to saving tender little lives
someday.
