Alpana’s cancer diagnosis turned a lively, energetic and enthusiastic young woman into a nervous, helpless and restless one.

Alpana is 31 and was diagnosed with carcinoma of the colon just three months after her marriage in Oct 2020. She was completely shaken. This news overwhelmed her newly married life. Her husband refused to accept any responsibility for her treatment or care and sent her back to her parents’ house.

For Alpana, life became difficult and painful. Facing a life-threatening sickness, she feared the future that meant suffering and death. For her, cancer was a road that led to a dead end.

Alpana is the youngest of three siblings. She had lost her father to mouth cancer three years earlier. The family’s financial situation is fragile as after Alpana lost her job, her brother is the only earning member of the family. He works for a private company and gets a limited salary. The house that they live in is a rented one.

Alpana is a college graduate and used to work contractually for the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi). After her cancer diagnosis she lost her job on account of her frequent hospital visits. She then became dependent on her brother for bearing the expenses of her treatment.

CanSupport’s telephone helpline got a call about Alpana and referred her to the home care team As Delhi was under a Covid lockdown, the team first called her on the phone to ascertain her mental and physical condition. They learnt that her chemotherapy was due to start shortly, and she was fearful of what would happen during the treatment. She was also frightened of dying and couldn’t sleep due to her severe anxiety. The team encouraged her to talk at length and share whatever she was feeling and listened to her for more than an hour.

This first conversation helped her to develop trust in the counsellor and encouraged her to feel secure enough to share her feelings. The team assured Alpana that they would call on her the following day and would do all they could to help address her challenges.

On their visit the following day, the team doctor and nurse evaluated her physical symptoms, especially those resulting from the colostomy that she had undergone recently. The care shown by the team made her feel supported and comforted. Alpana also needed a colostomy bag, but she could not afford one as her family was under considerable financial stress. On their next visit, the team helped by providing her with the bag she needed.

In addition to listening to her with empathy, the team counsellor suggested some breathing exercises and backward counting, as well as some relaxation and mindfulness techniques to help relieve her anxiety and sleeplessness. The first visit by the team itself brought a positive change in her. She felt supported and comforted and that helped her to accept her situation more calmly.

The team counsellor encouraged Alpana to care for her own well-being and read books or watch television or go to the park near her house to enjoy the greenery to uplift her spirit. The team nurse also educated her brother who is her primary caregiver on helping her with colostomy care. He was instructed on her medicine intake and diet to avoid any further pain or discomfort.

The home care team and the family worked together to add meaning and quality to Alpana’s life. The team’s constant assurance of their availability at all times empowered her to face her cancer journey with hope and optimism.

Regular counselling has helped Alpana greatly and she has peacefully and comfortably accepted her situation. She had strong reservations about using a colostomy bag but now she says, “I have accepted that this is the ‘new normal’ of my life. I have to live with a colostomy bag. Your presence makes me happy and feel supported. Please be with me in my journey.”

Her words have also touched us. As we continue to support Alpana, we wish for her speedy recovery and a healthy life ahead.

(Picture in display is representation of CanSupport Home care Services)