When walking through the outpatient waiting area at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore, you will encounter a sea of faces, despair mingled with hope. As I walk through this space often, I generally move on without focusing on any single person.One day, a child’s face captured my attention. His rosy cheeks contrasted with his pale lips and his blue outfit with stars seemed misfit inside a hospital. The corners of his mouth were turned down into a grimace. His hand should have been hugging a teddy bear but it was resting gingerly on his lap with a cannula attached to it. He should have been sitting on a classroom chair but he was sitting in a wheelchair. My feet decided to march towards him.
As I tried to speak to his mother, I realized she only spoke Persian but I was determined to find out more about the little boy. I found a translator, a relative accompanying the family, and found out that they had arrived from our neighbouring country, Afghanistan. The child’s name was Waliullah, youngest of four sisters and two brothers. It was his first day for receiving chemotherapy. Imagine being in a new country with new faces, where people speak a language you do not understand, and where you only hope your child will get a second chance at life instead of being sent back to a war torn country with little or no healthcare infrastructure. If you are a mother, you will take the chance. This mother took the chance and brought her child to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC). The family was in a difficult financial situation and even if they could afford expensive cancer treatment, their own country lacks a proper healthcare system where a state-of-the-art cancer care facility with all the diagnostic and therapeutic facilities required to treat cancer, simply does not exist. The closest hope they could find was across the border. The mother knew that going to another country for prolonged treatment meant she would have to make a temporary living arrangement in a new place, ensure her other children are being taken care of and deal with the visa issues, but when the question is about your child’s life, it is a question about your life. Despite the difficulties, this mother chose to cross the border and walked through the doors of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in hope, her child will be saved. Her child was accepted for treatment at SKMCH&RC and she did not have to worry about the treatment cost. Her child was given the opportunity to fight cancer because just like any other child, he deserves to live.If the Hospital can help him fight, it will do everything to help him fight cancer regardless of his race, religion, country of origin, or socio-economic background. Waliullah is a personification of the mission of SKMCH&RC that aims to alleviate the pain of patients suffering from cancer.
Two weeks later, I recognized Waliullah through his outfit; light blue shirt with stars and matching pyjamas. He was wearing the same outfit but he had lost his beautiful locks of hair and thenew swelling on his face had changed the features as I remembered them. He was not in a good mood. Hospital, for him, was now associated with needles and a place where the cancer inside his body is being poisoned. I was determined to change this. I went to the nearest cafeteria inside the Hospital and brought him a pack of chips and juice to cheer him up. At first, he was hesitant and looked up towards his mother for permission and at her nod, his face lit up with a big smile. Then it became our small tradition, every time I saw him, I would get him snacks and get rewarded by his huge smile. When I met Waliullah a few days ago, he had successfully completed five sessions of chemotherapy and his cheery demeanor warmed my heart. I was happy to learn that he is now on his way to recovery.
Waliullah has taught us about the common language of kindness and hope
Waliullah has strengthened my belief that as humans, we are capable of communicating with each other beyond the language of words. At SKMCH&RC, you get plenty of opportunities to witness this phenomenon of connection with the common thread of kindness and hope that is woven in every day interactions and binds us all together in the fabric of humanity.
There must be many issues maligning the face of my country but institutions such as Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, where values of compassion and humanity are upheld at all costs, make me proud to be a part of this country. SKMCH&RC is indeed a tribute to not only a mother but it is a testament to the resilience, generosity, and kindness of the Pakistani nation. In this blessed month of giving, please remember children like Waliullah who travel from faraway places in hope of getting the chance to live. Each person who supports this cause in any capacity directly becomes a part of the fabric of goodness and humanity.
“Waliullah is a personification of the mission of SKMCH&RC that aims to alleviate the pain of patients suffering from cancer.”
“At SKMCH&RC, you get plenty of opportunities to witness this phenomenon of connection with the common thread of kindness and hope that is woven in every day interactions and binds us all together in the fabric of humanity.”
“Each person who supports this cause in any capacity directly becomes a part of the fabric of goodness and humanity.”