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Friday, 26 December 2014

Purveyors of Hope.

There are some people who make you realize that beyond every mountain you  face, there is a path, one that cannot be seen from the valley of life. More than the presence, their assuring smile makes you feel better,  have faith in their belief and makes you feel cheerful spreading a positive glow.

Cancer did bring me to a crossroad of life, knowing very well what to expect and what to face. The seriousness very well known and also understanding that with a triple negative breast cancer, I had to go forward and fight it out with all the strength in me. My doctors were purveyors of hope for me. My  oncologist  Dr. Sivakumar and his wife Dr. Kalarani, were ever smiling, warm and caring.  

 Dr. Sivakumar, born in a family of cancer victims,deviated to take up oncology as his field of specialization to alleviate the sufferings of cancer patients  He did his M.B.B.S, and then MD  in general medicine and D.M in  medical oncology , all from madras medical college- a premier medical institution. He was the best outgoing student in MD General Medicine, although he had a wide experience in treating all forms of cancers;  his interest however was management of solid tumors.  He   worked in various centers both abroad and in India and has been liked by his patients for his receptive and caring approach towards them.  Dr.  Sivakumar has his own clinic and day care center in Mylapore. 


Dr. Kalarani. was  very good in academics and did her masters in mathematics.  She choose maths as her field of specialization and research; and then obtained doctorate in maths in the year 1998.


Being moved by the mental agony of the people afflicted with cancer, Dr. Kalarani decided to change track from a mathematician to a counselling psycho oncologist.The smiling face, her loving and comforting words brought peace to the minds of the patients. A lady who had a smile for all. A smile that comforts and soothes. A  qualified psychologist from Bharathiar university, she got her formal training in the field of psycho oncology at the famous cancer institute of Chennai.  She  practices now alongside her husband at Sai Balaji  cancer clinic, Chennai.

A visit to his clinic would put all your fears aside, and give you confidence to fight out  cancer. He always has a smile on his face, the minute you enter his room. Initially when my treatment started , the way he closes his eyes, ponders over and then talks, I used to think he is about to say something serious. Later on as I got used to his ways of dealing with the patients, I realized that was his way of deciding about the treatment, and then putting it across to us. What ever be the situation, I have found him always smiling and that gives the confidence to fight on.

Dr. Kalarani, used to come with a smile that put all fears and tiredness at bay, the way she inquired each patient how they were doing. A very caring lady who had a positive word for each person. For a cancer patient, a word of care and concern, was like a miracle working on them. Empathy is considered to be very important in dealing with any patient. And it is believed that empathy generally has better results on patients. 

As Arthur Frank quotes, "One of most difficult duties is to listen to the voices of those who suffer." As people face fear, they inevitably encounter meaning of life, connection, sources of hope and transcendence. Hope is a word with so many different perceptions. Hope is that thing which keeps a cancer patient fight during the trauma of treatment. And to be a purveyor of hope for many is indeed a blessing of life. They instilled a confidence to fight on and also that cancer is not a taboo but curable.  





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