Nirmala Palliative Care Centre, a Division of Health Care Charitable Society, has started functioning from their premises in Vadavucode, near Kolenchery in Ernakulam, Kerala. The centre was inaugurated on September 20, 2018, by Dr. D Babu Paul, I.A.S. in the presence of Justice P K Shamsudeen, Adv. V P Sajeendran, M.L.A, Dr. Thomas Varghese, Mr. C V Jacob and dignitaries from the Vadavucode-Puthencruz Grama Panchayat.
The centre provides outpatient, inpatient and home care services. A doctor trained in palliative care is present during day time and available on calls. Nurses are positioned round-the-clock. All the services are free of charge. Contact: Mr. Eliyas at 91 9400660072
Congratulations and best wishes to the team at Nirmala Palliative Care Centre.
Here is an example from Varandarappilly, Thrissur, Kerala. M is a cancer patient who had undergone tracheostomy. He lost all belongings including his voice box when his house was inundated in the floods of August 2018.
We had received the request for an electrolarynx via whatsapp, and with the support of local community including Varandarappilly Disaster Response Force (VDRF), we collected the details regarding treatment and family situation, and were able to acquire the voice box for Mr M, who had been fearing that he may have to go through the rest of his life unable to communicate.
Heartiest Congratulations from all of us at Pallium India to our friend Dr. Chitra Venkateswaran, who was conferred the Kairali People Doctor’s Award by Kairali TV Chairman, Shri Mammootty, on September 29, 2018.
It was a proud moment for Pallium India as well, since our volunteer, Ashla Rani is one of the women featured in the calendar. Ashla writes:
Imagine that you are watching a spell-binding dance performance and you fall in love with the passion you see in the eyes of the performer. Later, you are told that she cannot hear the music, but she has learnt it from her guru through interpretation!!! She loved dancing from her childhood. In spite of evident obstacles in her path, she and her guru found ways to learn the rhythm. When you are born with a talent and have the passion to take it forward, there is no limit to where you can reach! Prerana, (true to her name, which means ‘inspiration’) encouraged everyone to follow their passion and achieve what was possible, and even those that appear impossible …
It was an honour to be a part of Swarga Foundation’s 4th anniversary celebration and even more so to be featured in their calendar. It was an evening where everyone enjoyed EQUALLY. There were no differences even when each one was different in his/her own way.
Swarga foundation was founded by Swarnalatha, who has been living with multiple sclerosis since 2009. Read more about Swarga Foundation and about Swarnalatha, the founder.
September 28th marks my 4 years in Pallium India. I have done so many things in these four years; things I had never imagined I could do, even in my wildest dreams. There is so much to be thankful for…
It was the three-person army of Ganga aunty, Dr Sangeetha and Haridas sir who took the lead in searching for a place for me to work and live. After several months, Pallium India showed itself to Ganga aunty in the form of a small news item about a paraplegic rehabilitation center. Thus began the next phase in my life.
Now when I retrospect, two things stand out that helped liberate me from my cocoon.
First, the unconditional support of my colleagues. I was in a world where everyone helped each other, in whichever way they could. Second, the real wings in my legs in the form of an electric wheelchair. When Dr Chandrika asked me, in her sweet, quiet tone, how much it would cost for an electric wheelchair, I never thought she would find a sponsor from her own circle of friends and family. Nor did I foresee the freedom it was going to give me. Finally, when Mr Abhishek bought me one, it opened the doors to a completely new world. Till then, all I received was pity from strangers, as well as their non-stop queries, “What happened to you? Can’t you walk? Not at all? For how long?” (all in one breath) followed by a few sympathetic pats on the shoulder.
Once the wheelchair arrived, they started seeing me with new eyes and their questions changed to: “Aha!! Is this battery operated? How much does it cost? How do you charge this? How many kilometers can it go after charging once?” Children who usually avoided me began to approach, curious to see how I operated the electric wheelchair. I made friends with them by allowing them to try the joystick. The wheelchair gave me not only the freedom to move around but also freedom from sympathy (most of the time).
As years pass, things fall into routine and we take life for granted. This wheelchair has been my companion for 3.5 years. Yes, I do use it daily without thinking too much about it, but there were so many occasions when I felt grateful to be moving on my own instead of depending on others to push me around. And when I sat down on the evening I completed four years at Pallium India, this was the first thought in my mind. Every single act of kindness touches people much more than we can even imagine.
