Asha is about 42 years old. She was diagnosed with cancer of the ovary a few months ago. Her husband passed away when she was just 30. She has two sons from her marriage and they live in a rented accommodation. When the home care team at CanSupport got her referral, her chemotherapy was already in progress and she was dealing with the effects of that.

Asha toiled as a cook in some people’s homes and generated income to support her family. Sadly, her ailment prevented her from carrying on with her work, causing a difficult financial situation for the family. Her elder son who was pursuing graduation stepped in by finding some part-time work to manage their day-to-day expenses. The younger son is still school going and is in the middle of finishing class 12.

After assessing her symptoms arising out of treatment for cancer, the team prescribed for her the right medication to relieve her. Although her treatment was progressing nicely and the cancer was caught early enough to be cured, Asha was distressed about having lost her hair due to chemotherapy. She was filled with shame and worried about how would people look at her.

The team counsellor helped her overcome her feeling of shame and even made her laugh by sharing how internationally it is considered fashionable for women to sport a bald look.

Asha’s major worry was that there was a wedding coming up in the family in her hometown in Uttarakhand and she was also invited. The marriage was of a close relative and since she had not shared her diagnosis with any of her extended family, she was stressed about attending the wedding with no hair. She did not want to tell any of her relatives about her illness. The team informed her about wigs made of real hair that she could use and that no one would then know about her condition. Asha was happy to learn about this option, but her financial situation was not such that she could afford it.

The team assured her they would try to arrange a wig for her through its Third Party Resource Facilitation team. Asha felt very relieved to know that it would be possible for her to attend the wedding with no one knowing about her situation.

Asha could happily attend the wedding. She had time to meet and connect with many of her close relatives during the wedding. Back home, she is cheerful, much more positive and is now on the path to recovery after continuing with her treatment. The home care team continues to visit her and manage her symptoms to assist her in making her cancer journey easier and pain free for her and the family.