Gita’s life was a hard one. She had three young children to care for and a psychologically disturbed husband who worked as a security guard. His monthly income kept them below the poverty line. For all these reasons, Gita did not go back to the hospital for treatment.
Several months later, she developed a severe backache and bleeding and had no choice but to see the oncologist. By this time the disease had progressed much further and she was told that it was no longer curable. She was given palliative radiotherapy at the Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital of AIIMS to manage her pain.
It was at this point that Gita came into contact with the CanSupport home care team. Their evaluation on the first home visit told them clearly that her suffering was not just physical, it had an emotional and financial component to it. She was given free medicines and supplements that made her feel well enough to cook and care for her family, something no one else could do. Her baby, now one and a half years old, was severely malnourished as all she had to give him was her meagre breast milk. CanSupport arranged for food supplies for the entire family.
When Gita’s condition deteriorated, as expected, the home care team suggested that she be admitted to the local hospice as there was no one to care for her at home. It was then that she expressed her greatest worry to them: who would look after her little children once she was gone? The team went to work and located a caring organization where her children would be safe and well looked after. Satisfied that this would be in the children’s best interests, Gita and her husband consented to send them to their new home. And Gita moved to the hospice.
The home care team continued to visit her in the hospice. CanSupport volunteers who dropped in on the children in their new home were able to reassure her that they were in good hands. When the children came to visit her, their happy faces gave her great comfort. In her final days, Gita was able to let go of her torment and fear and found peace.
As with so many other patients and their families, the home care team’s role went beyond medical and nursing issues and addressed the emotional and social concerns that affect the quality of life of a family. Even though they had not been able to cure her, they had helped her to heal at the deepest level and support her as she journeyed from suffering and despair to serene acceptance.
