Reflections from a silent guardian: The vital role of a social worker in palliative care – Ms Vahini Bodasing, Hyderabad The vital role discharged by a Social worker in hospice care often goes unnoticed. Social workers help provide essential emotional support, facilitate communication, and help arrange practical assistance for palliative care patients and their families…
Read More
Mishti Doi: From Chennai to Cooch Behar – Dr. Meenakshi V V, Chennai Unrelenting lower limb pain with an ominous looking lesion in the lumbar vertebral space brought 9-year-old Ajay (name changed) and his family from West Bengal to Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai, in November 2022. The family’s worst fears were confirmed when the oncologists…
Read More
Individual grief manifests as love for the community – Ms. Sailaja Tripathy, Bhubaneswar Deepesh’s association with Amrit Dhara Palliative Care Trust (ADPCT) was made possible by Ms Namrata Rath (Managing Trustee and Secretary, ADPCT), who was a source of support during his cancer treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. Deepesh was a 25-year-old gentleman who was…
Read More
Death at my doorstep – Dr Sharada Vinod Kutty, New Delhi I’ve been a medical student since 2004. I remember how I would run from the wards to the outpatient departments to the medical camps and so on. I was like a sponge trying to imbibe all the information around me. I particularly loved my…
Read More
The Other One – Dr Jewell Joseph, Vellore “There is no one in the world, other than your siblings, who knows what it’s like to have been raised the way you were.” In many ways, the sibling bond is unique. It encompasses the comfort of family, the freshness of friendship and the spirit of rivalry.…
Read More
A glimpse into the world of pain and hope: Ravi’s Story – Ms Subadra O, Chennai The hustle and bustle of our daily lives makes us often forget about the silent struggles that people around us face. One such story that left an indelible mark in my heart is that of Ravi’s. Ravi is a…
Read More
My journey in Palliative Care – Ms Nileema Sharad Shingade, New Delhi For 12 years I worked in a cancer department and strived to provide the best possible nursing care for my patients who had undergone surgery, or for those who were getting chemotherapy or radiation as a part of their cancer treatment. During that…
Read More
Cancer: just wants to be… – Dr Ruparna, New Delhi ‘’I did not ask for this! I certainly do not deserve this! The last thing I want is to take support from someone else and lose my independence’’ she blurted out as she also sobbed softly. The nursing staff continued to prepare her chemo port…
Read More
The Last Wish: To Live and Let Live – Mr Vivek Sharma, Mumbai Probably for the first time in the past 12 years since I shifted my house, I was enjoying the greenery from my study table. The weather was salubrious. As I was settling down with a cup of hot tea, my sight fell…
Read More
Addressing Constipation and Alleviating Pain: A Nurse’s Compassionate Intervention – Dr A Latha, Jodhpur Context: The below narration is from when I was working as a Chief Nursing Officer in a medical teaching hospital. During a routine morning round in a male surgical ward one day, I heard a person moaning loudly as if he…
Read More