“One day, I’m going to be big, and I’m going to be famous, and my life is going to be one for the books!” exclaimed young Ahmed.
An ordinary young man, with an ordinary life, with extraordinary dreams; Rizwan Ahmed was born in the bustling streets of Trilokpuri. Youngest of the three, Rizwan was the family baby. Pampered the most by his eldest brother, Rizwan looked at life differently. He grew up watching Sunny Deol single-handedly thrash the goons, and knew he was born to be a superhero. The ordinary life wasn’t meant for him, so he thought. All he had to do was wait; wait for the big adventure to come his way, and everything would be just perfect!
But the wait never ended. As days turned into months, and months turned into years, Rizwan’s dream slowly began to die. Life wasn’t exciting anymore. There was no adventure, just a 10-10 job at his barber shop. One day he observed an ulcer at the roof of his mouth. Not giving much attention at first, things started to get worse. Not long after, Rizwan noticed changes in his speech and found himself in great difficulty moving his jaw. He had no other option, but to visit the doctor.
After numerous tests and days of anxiety, Rizwan was diagnosed with Hard Palate Cancer.
To him, this news shattered his entire world. Everything around him suddenly stood still. He was furious; at his life, at God, at every individual he had ever interacted with. This wasn’t the adventure that he’d asked for. This was nothing like the life he wanted to live. Rizwan’s condition started deteriorating further. He was in immense pain and the side effects of his ongoing chemotherapy surfaced. The added fear and anxiety of what the future held for him worsened his condition.
It was then, that he reached out to CanSupport through the Helpline Number. Immediately, the palliative care team swung into action. The highly skilled team of doctors, nurses and counsellors reviewed all the steps that had to be undertaken, and made Rizwan their foremost priority.
Lessening the pain that Rizwan was enduring was the prime concern. The team doctor studied his condition, and accordingly prescribed him pain relieving medicines. Rizwan was assured that he was in good hands, and would not be walking on this tough road alone. He could contact the team anytime if he felt any sort of discomfort, and all his needs would be attended to.
A comprehensive nursing care was assured and entrusted to Rizwan. The team nurse guided him about his mouth care routine, and the diet that he could consume. The nurse also spoke to him about his cancer, the symptoms and the side-effects of treatment that he might experience. Rizwan was educated on the day-to-day activities that would help him fight his illness, and was left feeling more encouraged, reassured and hopeful.
Rizwan’s emotional, psychological and spiritual self had to be empowered for him to achieve absolute healing. The team counsellor provided him with a safe space to express and to feel, and gradually Rizwan let down his guard. He spoke about all that he felt, all the fear and anger that had built inside of him. He finally felt like his words were heard, his emotions were valid and for once, Rizwan didn’t feel as ordinary as before.
Love and care have power to heal all.
Today, with the collective effort made by the CanSupport team, Rizwan finds himself in a much better place in his life.
“I kept looking for an adventure in my ordinary life. Little did I know, there is nothing ordinary about anyone’s life. Life isn’t ordinary. Life itself is an adventure. A beautiful one at that.” Everyone is a superhero in their own way. Everyone is a hero of their own story.
They are many people like Rizwan 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 +91-11-41010539 with to 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.
If you would like to support our cause, please donate at https://cansupport.org/donate
(Picture in display is representation of CanSupport Home care Services)