All of thirteen, Rohit was your typical energetic teenager who would love playing cricket with his neighbourhood friends and running about his school but not so much the studies that came with the eighth grade. He had appeared to have been fine until the symptoms started to intensify and then came the day he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma which is a rare, aggressive cancer that primarily affects bones. This shocking news had shaken the family. Unfortunately, his condition was made worse because of an accidental injury caused by a fall which resulted in paraplegia rendering him immobilized.
The family’s economic standing is rather shaky with his father working as a daily wage worker and the mother trying to support him by taking up cleaning or washing jobs at nearby residences. Being the middle child, he has two sisters who are also dependent on the family’s limited income. The combined stress of the disease and the circumstances had made it rather tough for Rohit to get better, and for his parents and siblings to be able to care for him adequately.
When one of CanSupport’s Home Care visited the family’s home, they could almost immediately realise that the boy was in dire need of a proper bed to ensure his comfort and aid in his care. As these medical beds can be a bit dear, we reached out to our kind donors to mobilise one for him. It was truly miraculous how quickly that got arranged with the generous donors even getting the power point installed to plug the bed in as well. The parents were touched by the gesture.
Additionally, we have ensured that the medication he urgently requires is taken care of. Acknowledging the financial strain that the family has been put under, we have gone ahead with extending ration support to them to further ease the burden.
Through all this, Rohit has shown incredible courage by trying to remain as upbeat as possible, not just for himself but to somewhat lighten the stress his loved ones are under too. We are moved by the spirited child and how committed the family is to see him healthy. We are resolute in walking alongside him on this journey and provide continued support to overcome that challenges that shall arise.
(Picture in display is representation of CanSupport Home care Services)
To protect the privacy of the patient and the family, the name/s in the story have been changed. There are many people who need palliative care but they don’t know where to go. While CanSupport is doing its best the reach out to people informing them about their services, we request you to spread the word.
Share our Helpline Number +91 11 4101 0539 / +91 98990 11212 (Mon to Sat 9 am to 6 pm) with all the needy people. Though all CanSupport services are free of charge for patients, the cost of reaching out to patients and caring for them cost ₹1,350 per visit per patient.
If you would like to support our cause, please donate at https://cansupport.org/donations/home-based-palliative-care/.
