The Grade 12 students visited the Indo American cancer hospital as part of their CAS activity on the 19th of July. The scene that met my eyes as we entered the corridors of the hospital was a hall packed with people of all age groups waiting for their turn in the out patient block. Cancer as I perceived from my childhood had always been an affliction that was most dreaded and something not often heard. For the first time I realized there were so many people suffering from blood cancer that it almost appeared it was as common a disease as a viral flu. Walking into the paediatrics ward I saw children under the age of 10 some as young as two sitting in a room. They looked like any other normal child to me but for the masks on their faces (which were apparently put so that they don't catch any infection) which was a grim reminder of the affliction they were suffering from. I did not find them to be very active physically probably because they had gone through a chemotherapy session in the morning and I was told their immunity levels are particularly low post the session. They did respond to us with smiles though when they were approached happy to cling to the colourful sketch pens that were given to them, some attempting to draw with their little hands.
It was a good learning experience for the students and a sort of revelation for me. As I walked out of the hospital I pondered over how often we tend to take things for granted in life and never appreciate the simple gifts that are bestowed on us.How many of us offer a prayer of gratitude for the little comforts that we are blessed with. We sulk and complain about what we do not have seldom realizing that we have been blessed with the most important thing that one can ask for HEALTH. Life has a strange way of teaching us and the short time that I spent in the cancer ward enriched me with a little lesson that I learnt of valuing life and all that it has to offer.
Ms.Mohseena Hussain
Activity Coordinator
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