I first met Dr Robert Twycross in the early nineties when he conducted a workshop at AIIMS, New Delhi, on managing cancer pain, along with Ms Gilly Burn.
The presentations were outstanding and evoked quite a response. I had by then already visited the Palliative Care Clinic set up by Dr MR Rajagopal and Dr Suresh Kumar in Calicut and CanSupport was about to launch its own home care programme, in Delhi, in collaboration with IRCH/AIIMS.
I recall Dr Twycross cautioning me against moving too quickly into palliative care. He was concerned that as a cancer survivor I needed more time to complete my own healing. He suggested that I write an article on my cancer journey for the Indian Journal of Palliative Care which I did.
This was the beginning of several interactions we had at IAPC conferences. He was always supportive and interested in our progress. What I learnt from listening to him over these years was how important it was while treating a patient to never make assumptions and to listen attentively. This meant taking a detailed medical history and reviewing it at every visit. It also required paying careful attention to every medical condition and medication that the patient was taking.
Dr Twycross was passionate in his commitment to quality of life. I remember an occasion when a doctor asked him about a latest medical gizmo. “Why are you so intoxicated by technology” he snapped back.