For a four-year-old the greatest problem in their lives is usually leaving their mothers on their first day at school, but things were different for Shivam. He sat peacefully engrossed in the activity that had been organised by the volunteers at the day care that day. Opposite him sat his father with a beaming smile, nothing made him happier than to watch his son play like any other four-year-old.

Shivam too had been separated from his mother, but not by school, instead by blood cancer. Upon Shivam’s diagnosis his father had left his life in his small hometown in Bihar to seek proper treatment in Delhi for his son. He left behind his wife and other children and came to a new city with hope that India’s foremost hospital AIIMS would save his son. Living in a single room in Noida he takes his son everyday to the hospital despite the hectic commute. For a father who stays alongside his son every step of the treatment, the sources of income are limited. But he is determined to take care of his son and overcome any financial boundaries to ensure his son survives this. He may lack money but he is full of hope, hope that this period in his sons life will pass.

Shivam’s father believes that CanSupport has helped him in a way that nobody else could. He also regrets not knowing of CanSupport earlier as it could have made his life easier. He heard word about CanSupport from other patients at the hospital and so he decided to give it a try. When they arrived at the day care, the father-son duo met with many others who were going through similar situations and Shivam’s father realised that he was not alone in facing the challenges. The staff helped them express themselves and relieved them of the burden of feelings they had not been able to share with anyone. For Shivam’s father, to be able to see his son befriend children his age and play and laugh is all he could ask for. It gives him the courage to keep going and hope that one day his family will be together and his son healthy. He has now learnt to smile through it and knows that he needs to be strong and optimistic for Shivam’s sake. They both look forward to the Day care. It’s almost like a solace from their otherwise stressful lives.