Sad. Stressful. Chronic. Painful. These might be a few words that come into your mind when you hear the word ‘Childhood Cancer’. ‘Access Life’, an NGO in Kalyani Nagar, ensures to change your perception about it. Families from remote areas come to big cities for their child’s treatment. While the treatment is in process, the families do not have proper access to hygienic environments. “The patient sand their families stay in the corridors of the hospitals, and the child is prone to secondary infections that way,” mentioned Ms. Subhadra the Centre Manager at Access Life, Pune. Access Life Assistance Foundation was set up in 2014 in Mumbai and later, in Pune in 2021 with free accommodation services for cancer patients and their caregivers. Gradually, it added free transport, food, recreational activities and counseling. From the logo to the interiors, the design is made in a way to make the environment happy and vibrant for the children. Their aim is to open shelter homes in every state and ensure that everything they do, drives towards curing the kids and that the child shouldn’t carry the baggage of the hospital. “Instead of focusing on the fact that they have cancer, I focus on the fact that they are getting treated, ”said Ms. Subhadra. Two mental health counselors have been appointed to conduct sessions every week. Group sessions happen once a week, where in parents gather to do some paintings, watch motivational videos, and other activities. In addition, a teacher is hired to develop a primary curriculum for every child depending on their learning capabilities. Volunteers visit and interact with the kids & their families ,have play- dates with them, celebrate birthdays etc. All funding for the NGO comes from donors; individuals and Corporates who engaged in CSRs. So far, six children have gone back home for their remission. “When the children come in, it is hard to see them. But just within a month, there is a huge transformation. Now, the kids have become so notorious. It is sometimes so hard to manage these kids, as they play and run around every day. It feels happy to see them cheerful like this,” the Centre Manager added.
25 Feb 2022
Shirin Pajnoo
