Category: Cancer Survivors

Cancer Survivors

Baby Shubi

Post author By abhi
Post date August 26, 2021

Meet our BraveHearts

Baby Shubi

Age : 1 years

Place : Lucknow area, Uttar Pradesh (830 miles from Mumbai)

Baby is a happy child who came to the Access Life center in August, 2020.

Fighting Cancer

Initially, Baby’s parents observed that the child had developed a swelling on the backside and after a few days they observed blood in the toilet. The parents rushed to the local doctor and the child was admitted to the hospital for 15 days. The doctor did a few tests over there and suspected that it could be cancer and recommended them to go to Lucknow for further checking and treatment. The parents left immediately for Lucknow. All the tests were repeated and Baby was diagnosed with PAED Solid Tumor. The doctor of the Lucknow Hospital recommended the family to go to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai for further treatment.

Challenges

The family traveled from Lucknow to Delhi by bus and from Delhi to Mumbai by train during the pandemic induced lockdown. The family had never heard of Childhood cancer and didn’t have much idea about the treatment process. Baby’s father had some savings which he used for the treatment and for travelling till Mumbai. The family faced a lot of financial difficulties. They did not ask help from any relatives or friends as they believe if other people get to know about the disease then no one will marry their daughter in the future.

Cancer Survivors

Anjali Gaware

Post author By abhi
Post date August 26, 2021

Meet our BraveHearts

Challenges

The family had no clue about childhood cancer and it was shocking and astonishing for the family to accept that their child was diagnosed with cancer. They also faced financial difficulties and so had to take loans from relatives and close people for the child’s treatment. Anjali has a brother who had to stay with their grandparents. Furthermore, the family did not have any acquaintances in Mumbai and it was very difficult for the family to manage shelter, food, and treatment all together when they first reached Mumbai.

Cancer Survivors

Tanisha Palyekar

Post author By abhi
Post date July 27, 2021

Meet our BraveHearts

Tanisha Palyekar

Age: 1 years

Hometown: Goa (350 miles from Mumbai)

Tanisha is an observant child who loves to sit and watch other kids play. She and her family arrived at Access Life in April 2020.

Fighting Cancer

Baby Tanisha had a fall 15 days before she was going to celebrate her 1st birthday on 20th March, 2020. After the fall there was swelling on her face and the child developed a high fever which kept recurring for the next 20 days. The doctor initially suspected a dental issue and treated her accordingly. On seeing no improvement, they did a blood test and the reports confirmed that Baby Tanisha had Blood Cancer. Without giving a second thought the family decided to come to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. Tanisha had to undergo 4 cycles of chemo.

Challenges

The family is not very well off financially. They had no savings and it was only with the help of a relative that they were able to travel to Mumbai. Tanisha’s father is the sole earner of the family and with him being away from Goa, he had no income at that point in time. There was no assurance whether he would get his job back once they returned.

Cancer Survivors

Vishal Lahase

Post author By pwcbeta
Post date July 27, 2021

Meet our BraveHearts

Vishal Lahase

Age : 9 years

Hometown – Buldana, Madhya Pradesh (340 miles from Mumbai)

Vishal is a cheerful child who loved to make friends. He is outgoing, actively mixed with the other kids and took part in the activities conducted. He loves to play and has a knack for painting.

Fighting Cancer

Vishal’s symptoms started with a typhoid fever, which fluctuated for one and a half months. The child was treated by a local doctor at a village nearby, and stayed there for about two weeks. However, on coming home, the fever relapsed and Vishal had to be admitted to the ICU. A blood transfusion was done. Post this, in the blood test report, it indicated an increase in blood platelets and the doctor at Orbit hospital in Akola suspected a possibility of cancer. The doctor advised the family to go to Sion Hospital in Mumbai, which they followed. After coming to Mumbai, they did a BMT Test, which confirmed blood cancer.

Challenges

Vishal’s primary caregiver is his uncle and grandmother as his father is not mentally stable and he lost his mother at a young age. The family faced financial difficulties, which were partially alleviated by the help of a few relatives. Furthermore, they did not know what cancer was, and were mentally and emotionally taken aback by the news of the child’s disease.

Cancer Survivors

Sumantra Das

Post author By pwcbeta
Post date July 27, 2021

Meet our BraveHearts

Sumantra Das

Age : 3 years

Place : Takagachh, West Bengal

Sumantra is a cheerful happy child who loved to be around other kids. He became a resident of the Access Life center in September 2020.

Fighting Cancer

Sumantra had a pain in his stomach which refused to go away even after taking medicines. He was then taken to a big hospital where the doctor prescribed a few tests like X-ray, blood tests to know what exactly the problem is. The X-ray report showed solid tumor. The doctor also did CT- Scan and diagnosed PAED Solid Tumor. The family was then suggested to go to Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai for further treatment.

Challenges

The family already has financial troubles due to low income. Family relatives reached out to help them travel to Mumbai. The family didn’t have any idea about Childhood Cancer and the news was very shocking for them and difficult to accept. It taxed them both mentally and emotionally. Sumantra has a sister who stayed back with grandparents in their hometown. The parents missed the other child and it was difficult for the child also to stay away from the parents for so long. Furthermore, the family speaks Bengali and can only understand very basic Hindi. This language barrier added to the challenges they faced in Mumbai.