Deep Gulati, a 62 year old auto-rickshaw driver was a busy, self-respecting man. He lived in Delhi with his wife and son and happily rode his auto-rickshaw and earned his living. Nothing made him happier than listening to Bollywood songs and watching Bollywood movies. His son is educated and works for a private company and his wife is a homemaker.

One day Deep noticed a small lump on his cheek which in days turned into an abscess. Initially, he tried many remedies at home but when his abscess continued to grow and got even worse, decided to consult a doctor. The doctor recommended some tests before anything could be confirmed The test results showed that he had CA buccal mucosa at stage 3. Both he and his wife were completely heartbroken and shattered. Their world turned bleak. Deep was still optimistic and hopeful that he would get treated and recover. The doctor advised that he immediately started his treatment at a hospital.

Deep’s disease forced him to park his auto-rickshaw, only to never ride it again. After his disease was diagnosed, the financial burden on his son doubled. He not only had to take care of the household expenses but also shoulder the added financial responsibility of his father’s treatment.

They managed to get his treatment started at Delhi State Cancer Hospital. Soon enough the country was hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the government imposed a lockdown. Deep was unable to get regular appointments from the doctor at the hospital. Deep and his wife felt helpless. They didn’t know where to go or what to do? One evening Deep was feeling very sick and started vomiting. His wife panicked and ran to a chemist shop which was open even during the lockdown. She shared with the chemist about Deep’s condition. Luckily the chemist shop owner knew about CanSupport and he asked her to call the helpline. He told her that CanSupport is an NGO and they help cancer patients for free.

She immediately called on CanSupport’s helpline number. The palliative care team that included a doctor, nurse and counsellor immediately visited their house. When the team reached the house, they found the house was shrouded in gloom and the entire family was in a state of depression. The doctor immediately gave him medication to relieve him of physical pain. Deep’s oral chemotherapy was going on and he was not able to eat anything so the team nurse inserted a Ryles tube and advised him on what kind of diet he must have. The nurse also explained to his wife in detail on how to take care of his oral hygiene.

On their second visit, the team found Deep and his wife in a slightly better state but they were still worried about not seeing any significant improvement in his condition. The team counsellor engaged Deep in a conversation to know and understand his worries and concerns and also encouraged him to share thoughts that were weighing him down. Deep shared that he constantly thought about his disease and feared that he would never be cured. Such thoughts hindered his sleep and he was not able to sleep peacefully. He felt sad and sorry that such doubts and thoughts made him very depressed and irritable and he took out that anger and depression on his wife and son by shouting at them. While sharing this he got very emotional and started to cry. The team counsellor heard him empathetically. He felt much lighter after venting out his emotions.

The counsellor also suggested to his wife that she made him sit near the window for some time every day so that he could get some fresh air and natural light and that both she and their son must try and engage Deep in some dialogue and discussion every day.

After a couple of more visits, the team developed a very good rapport with Deep and his family. Both Deep and his family would look forward to the team’s visit. On one such visit, Deep shared with the counsellor that he was worried about his growing abscess and he would keep thinking about how much worse would it get and when would he be free of the Ryles tube and eat normally. He could not bear being a burden on his family and wanted to become self-reliant once again.

Deep was aware of his prognosis but hadn’t yet accepted it. “What does your oncologist say?” asked the team doctor. “The doctor says I won’t ever fully recover,” replied Deep. Saying this he fell into deep sadness. Sharing about his prognosis was the first step he took towards acceptance.

The counsellor assured him that the team would continue to help him at home and make sure that he didn’t experience any pain or discomfort. Deep further shared that his wife has looked after him so dedicatedly and he wanted to make sure that after he was no more, she didn’t have to depend on anyone so he wanted to will his house in her name. The team arranged for a lawyer who was able to help Deep write his will. This put him at ease.

Gradually both Deep and his wife came to accept the plan of the almighty. A few days later Deep passed away peacefully in the presence of his wife and son. When the team visited the family for bereavement counselling, Deep’s wife appreciated the fact that the CanSupport team continued to visit the family even after everyone had left their side and helped make Deep’s sickness less painful.

She appreciated that even during the lockdown when they had no one to turn to, no doctor available to attend to her husband, the CanSupport team continued to visit them right till the end. She was happy that she was able to look after her husband well during his illness and expressed gratitude to the entire team of CanSupport.

Share our Helpline Number 011-41010539 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 Rs. 1400/- per visit per patient.

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