“Life was going ahead the way it does – some bad patches, some good ones. Then, one day my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and they told us that she was in the last stage. With that, our world turned upside down. The world seems suddenly strange and unfamiliar when a loved one is dying of cancer. I was pursuing graduation at the time and we went through a very tough time. During the time my mother was being treated, we came across many other cancer patients, children in particular. My mother battled this dreadful disease for a few months and passed away in 2000. On the very day of her death, I decided to launch an initiative to help needy cancer patients, children in particular,” says Santosh Tripathy, who along with some like-minded individuals is on a mission to help children afflicted with blood cancer.
For this group of 25, Sundays are not meant to be idled away, gossiping with friends or watching movies. They prefer spending the day visiting Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre and helping parents of children suffering from blood cancer. But what drives these men, mostly in the 30-40 age bracket, to sacrifice a holiday and devote themselves to the service of children with blood cancer?
Santosh says, “Cancer is a life-threatening disease that afflicts people of every age. For children, it can be especially traumatic. A strong support system can go a long way towards helping the child cope and maintain the positive attitude that will help the cure be effective. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, he needs the best medical care possible, and his entire family needs support emotionally and often financially. Our trust ‘Daya Dharma, Seva’ supports the needs of financially backward children diagnosed with blood cancer. Though we have been working for the cause since 2012, the trust was registered only in 2016.”
Santosh, who works as a consultant in an architect firm, donates 30 per cent of his salary to the cause every month. He says, “Apart from our members’ donation, we depend on benevolent persons who spontaneously contribute for the well-being of the afflicted children. The funds we raise through donations are used not only for the treatment of needy cancer patients, but also for health and blood donation camps.”
About the trust, Santosh says, “As cancer incidence is witnessing an increase across the country, the idea of helping poor children diagnosed with cancer was taken up by like-minded Bhubaneswar-based philanthropists leading to the formation of Daya Dharma, Seva, a trust providing succour to hundreds of children suffering from the deadly disease. From chemotherapy to medicines, our trust tries its best to provide free medicare to cancer patients and works throughout the year to create awareness among the masses. So far, we have helped around 300 children.”
According to Santosh, the western belt of Odisha has seen a rise in blood cancer cases among children. “As far as I know, there are numerous cases of inter-family marriages in the western belt. Marriages between cousins or distant family members is said to be the prime reason behind the growing number of cancer cases among children in western Orissa.”
Santosh further explains, “The diagnosis of cancer in a child or teenager can be a devastating blow to parents and other family members who love the child. Cancer creates an instant crisis in the family. What makes us very sad is when we find the vacant bed of a child with cancer to whom we had provided medicines and other assistance a few days before his death. I would like to share the story of Tridev Barik. His father was a poor farmer and thus he used to depend on us for his son’s treatment. We had developed a very good rapport with Tridev. He was a cheerful four year old boy. Though he was nearing death, he always had a smile on his face. The day before Tridev’s death, his father called me and sought financial help. We were on our way to hospital after arranging funds when his father informed us about his death. His demise left me in an ocean of sorrow. We arranged an ambulance and gave his father Rs 3,000 for the final rites. I still feel bad because my efforts did not yield positive results.”
“There is a boy named Jagannath Sahu who is currently undergoing treatment at Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre. Hailing from Remuna, this 12 year old loves chicken dishes. Every time I visit him, he asks me for chicken curry. ‘Uncle, you bring me medicines and nutritious food. Why don’t you bring chicken? I have not had chicken for many days.’ But children with blood cancer are strictly not allowed to take non-veg dishes. When I eat chicken, it reminds me of him. And I just cannot enjoy my food,” says Santosh.
“However, there are positive stories too. There are children who have recovered from cancer. Take the case of Daud Ahmed. He was admitted to Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in 2015. His leg was amputated after a road accident. He was in the first stage of cancer. He recovered very fast thanks to our regular services,” he adds.
Another trust member, who chose to remain anonymous, says, “We are working for a noble cause. However, we feel bad when doctors do not allow us to enter the hospital premises. According to them, the state government is providing all sorts of support to financially backward parents of children with cancer. So, there is no need for us to help them. However, if you pay a visit to a medical store, you will find that only low-cost medicines are supplied to cancer afflicted children free of cost whereas most important medicines are not available there. Poor parents often find it difficult to get medicines. There are many medical stores on the premises of SCB Medical College and Hospital. Whenever you show the prescription to them for the most needed cancer drugs, they simply say ‘out-of-stock.’ We ensure that such medicines are provided to poor parents of cancer afflicted children.”
Debdas Mohanty, advisor of the trust, says, “Our organisation is helping to ease the burden and pain by giving underprivileged children one of the core essentials of fighting cancer – nutritious food. We feel we should do our bit to ensure that children suffering from cancer are able to withstand the cancer treatment.”
Gagan Paital, another active member, adds, “There are many other activities that we focus on too. We provide old clothes to the needy. Besides, if a patient finds it hard to visit the hospital, we take him to the doctor and provide him medicines. That apart, we also hold blood donation and health camps on a regular basis. We donated funds to the Nepal earthquake victims. A few members of our organisation, including Santosh and I, have signed up for organ donation.”
Sripati Acharya says, “I was surprised to know that the survival rate among children suffering from cancer in India is low compared to the western countries. While discussing this with doctors, I got to know that the reasons for the low survival rate are incorrect diagnosis and treatment. In children, the symptoms of cancer are often missed because they overlap with common illnesses.”
RASHMI REKHA DAS, OP
