The February issue of the online newsletter, Pallium India, included a poignant story from Dr. Jean Jacob, a palliative care physician employed by Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration, Canada. Dr. Jacob is working with the Pain Relief and Palliative Care Society in Hyderabad as part of the home care team.
You can read an extract from Dr. Jacob’s longer article below. Pictured here is the visit to the patient at home.
In Antharam village, about 50 kilometers outside the city of Hyderabad in India, a 35-year-old named Arjun sits in his small room, waiting – waiting for his care giver to come for a short time in the morning and attend to his needs, waiting for the palliative care team to visit, waiting for someone to change his television channel.
Three years ago, at the age of 32, Arjun developed weakness in his legs and was diagnosed with a rare and incurable condition called limb girdle muscular dystrophy. Today, his legs and left arm have stopped responding to his desires, and soon, as he is well aware, his right arm would, too. He knows what he is waiting for – and he can do nothing but wait.
"The horror of it is that his mind is unaffected by the disease, and he has had to wait and watch his body slowly progress into disuse, as if in a waking nightmare," explains Dr. Jean Jacob. Read the full article here.
To read more inspiring stories and the latest achievements in palliative care in India, sign up to the free, monthly online newsletter of Pallium India.
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