“Cancer is one heinous monster that not just takes away life but it drills on the family’s emotions and finances.”
A few years back, four sisters came knocking at my door. I knew the girls personally as they often visited, one at a time, regarding their health concerns. It was a pleasant surprise to see all four in a pack.
It was about their father’s health. Their father was suffering from advanced stage of liver cancer which is irreversible yet the cost of care is as high as 20 lakhs for surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and even more for all the tests.
I knew the girls belonged to a poor family; two of them worked in a saree shop, one in the cyber cafe and another teaches in a nursery school. They earned enough to make ends meet but not enough to buy their father’s life.
I told them about Kidwai Cancer Hospital, it’s an economical government facility that offers good care to cancer patients. But with teary eyes, she said that they want to give the best possible treatment to their father.
Since there is nothing much I can do to cut down the bills of a private hospital I asked them how do they plan to pay. They looked at each other and with a sense of agreement, they said that they would sell their father’s house. This was a drastic step especially when cancer has already reached its advanced stage and nothing can undo the condition.
They said that they have stayed in R T NAGAR for three generations. Their house is old but the site is big and their relatives have already initiated a talk to sell the house for 50 lakhs but the girls had no idea about the true value of their ancestral heritage.
I once again checked his reports; serum Bilirubin 24 umol/land PET SCAN showed metastasis all over. I knew the patient won’t survive more than 3 months no matter what they do. And in such conditions selling the house to afford treatment is just a futile effort.
Analyzing their situation, I wrote a letter to a renowned oncologist to give his opinion on the case. I told the eldest daughter that this one was a difficult case, difficult situation; don’t plunge on your decision to sell the house. Just meet this cancer specialist and ask him the true chances of your father’s survival after getting all the treatments and his chances without it.
The doctor in the super specialty hospital was honest; he told the sisters that their father would not survive more than 3 months even with all the treatments.
Next day, the girls re-visited me and poured out about the guilt trip they would go throughout their life for not doing the least when their father was in need. Their father worked so hard to get them all settled and it’s their time to pay him back. They were pleading for a way to add days to their father’s life.
Conveying the bad news is one of the hardest parts of our job but there is no other way to do it than being completely honest but not harsh. The girls admitted their father in a nearby nursing home for palliative care but soon they were exhausted and their money drained.
They came back to me asking for the last option they can go for. I referred them to karunashraya, a free facility for cancer patients that takes extremely good care of patients. A thoughtful initiative from Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya is a joint project of the Indian Cancer Society (Karnataka Chapter) and the Rotary Club of Bangalore Indiranagar that aims to provide free professional palliative care for advanced stage cancer patients who are beyond cure. It has offered many estranged souls the dignity to die. Please visit their site for more details – https://www.karunashraya.org/
They lost their father to cancer in a fortnight and that was it. I did not hear from the sisters for the next two years. Recently the troop of four sisters came back to my clinic. This time they came to invite me to their house warming. They sold their old house for 3 crores now and with that money each bought one apartment in Sultanapalya.
Even at death, their father left them enough to build their home, their dreams, and their lives.
5 comments
Very pathetic situation. You handled them carefully and helped them from an inhuman trap.
In olden days, there was a saying ‘cancer only troubles the rich’; but now cancer swallows poor people also!!!
Good afternoon Doctor,
I am Vinutha, reading this first I really would appreciate your concern for them and showing the real humanity which we can rarely find it now a days.
Actually this is true naturally we all try our best to save our loved ones and we go blind and will not be in the condition to judge the situation properly and at that times relatives they will be waiting for such an opportunity and don’t want to miss it.
In such a condition doctor you have helped them and showed the right way and in return they believed you and agreed to you even that is appreciable thing and that faith remained between both which was important.
I am thankful to God that I know such a doctor who can guide me and my family and show us the right way, when needed.
I know at present this cancer has become the major health issue, may be with your permission we can guide them this ‘Karunashraya’ to someone who really need it.
Thank you.
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