Every Empty Bed In The Cancer Ward Is A Reminder Of Their | Milaap
Every Empty Bed In The Cancer Ward Is A Reminder Of Their Son's Fate
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    Created by

    Basanagoud
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    This fundraiser will benefit

    Sudhakar

    from Bangalore, Karnataka

Sudhakar (12) steps inside a small room with a white door. It is Monday, a school day, but this is not a classroom. In the room, there is a doctor waiting for Sudhakar, with his reports. This time it is not Sudhakar who is worried about reports, it is his parents. They had been in the same room a week before. It was the longest wait, they were told that it could be cancer but nothing could prepare them for it. When the doctors asked them to sit down, they sensed what would follow. Cancer is no more a possibility, it's their son's reality now. 

What has cancer taken away from this family?

Nagaratinam and Eshwar are daily wage labourers. They have been working day and night almost for most of their lives to make ends meet. They do not remember taking a day off, 'rest' is unheard of but they have never felt 'worn out'. When they come back home after a long day of work, they see Sudhakar doing his homework. On a small table is his prizes for being topper in the class. This has always given them the sense of purpose. They know that one day, he will bring light into their lives, it is his future that gave them hope. Now, they feel they are trapped in darkness forever.



"We thought it was just an ordinary fever but it wasn't. We do not know what he understands by 'cancer' but he is too weak to say anything. He is crying all the time. He vomits everything that he eats.  Every night we used to talk about his school, our work and so much. Now all we talk is about medicines and injections, even missing one pill can make his condition worse," - Eshwar

Empty beds send a shiver down their spine

Eshwar and Nagaratinam are now familiar with the cancer ward. They know other families, not by their names but the stories they share. They have never imagined that they would come here. Like Sudhakar, many children are fighting in their own ways. Every day they see a new patient, sometimes they suddenly stop seeing someone and when they realize the child is no more, it hits them hard. Their own child Sudhakar is also closer to death. The cancer in his bone marrow is aggressive and is progressing very quickly. He needs multiple chemo cycles and supportive care to recover completely.



"All we have is our son, even at a very young he was so responsible, he does all the work by himself . We are not educated, he learns all by himself and even taught us to write our names. Suddenly, everything changed. We cannot lose him, please help us," - Eshwar.



Nagaratinam and Eshwar did not go home even once since he was admitted, they have no strength to go home without their son. He can fight cancer only with your help.


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