Published on: October 1, 2025

Lived Experience: A daughter’s journey through pain, challenges and the comfort of palliative care.

I am Santha Kumari, daughter of Bhaskaran and Kochammini. Life was never easy – poverty and my father’s drinking shadowed my childhood. Still, it was made bearable as I grew up in a community and in times where support and compassion held people together. Years later, when my parents’ health began to fail, I found that same spirit of care again – this time, through palliative care.

My father, in his late 80s, grew weaker after Covid, losing his balance and memory. In 2023, he was diagnosed with a clot in his brain. My mother too suffered repeated falls, and the one earlier this year, left her bedridden after breaking her tailbone. My husband, though a heart patient himself, stood by me, and our daughters helped when they could. But caring for two frail parents in a mud house with few facilities left me exhausted and hopeless.

At the suggestion of our local primary healthcare centre (PHC) staff, we registered with the Palliative Care Unit under the Thottapadi PHC. That decision changed everything. The team brought not just medical care, but also patience, empathy, and hope. My parents began to wait eagerly for their visits. When my mother’s pain became unbearable, even lying down, they arranged an adjustable cot – a simple thing, yet it gave her comfort and gave me relief.

Later, when both of my parents were admitted to Thrissur district Palliative Care Centre, we experienced something extraordinary. For 25 days, the staff, volunteers, and even fellow caregivers surrounded us with love. Medicines, food, guidance – and above all, dignity – were given freely. In that place, burden turned into belonging. I still remember the smile of a young nurse who rushed to comfort me in my lowest moment. To me, she was an angel.

My mother passed away on August 15th, and my father followed four days later. Their final journey was eased by palliative care, and mine was filled with gratitude. Today, at 66, I believe palliative care is more than medicine. It is compassion that holds you when you are falling, hands that lift you when you are too tired, and smiles that light the darkest paths. For my husband and for me, it was not the end, but the beginning of a new voyage with hope and dignity.