Fearless children

  Fearless children  

Our teacher planned a painting workshop for cancer patients in Tata hospital. I was one of the few students selected as a volunteer for the workshop. The moment we entered the hospital, the atmosphere was disturbing. The hospital corridor was stuffy. The air in the hospital had an undertone of bleach. All the patients looked pale and sad. Some people were present for their appointments and others for meeting their loved ones. The kind of pressure on their mind reflected through their face. So,  people carry flowers for the patients as humans need them as a part of their healing process.

There was a small squared area reserved and decorated for the workshop. All of us students were ready with acrylic paints, brushes, and canvas sheets required for the painting workshop. We gave each kid three colors in a plate and A4-sized canvas. Every kid entered with a mask on their face and sat by forming a circle in that area.

Few kids were too nervous though few looked excited about the workshop. We instructed them to step by step how to paint the sunset view. They listened to us with eagerness. All were cancer patients of different ages. Some of their hands were too small to hold a brush. Every kid started painting their canvas with colors of their choice. Some of them painted the blue sky though others painted the sunset view. Each one added more elements of their choice in their painting of stones or shells in the sand, ships of different sizes, and birds in the sky. There was a girl who painted the entire canvas orange. And another little kid was enjoying the soft sound a brush makes as it crosses the canvas surface. As they were too sensitive, we told them not to use their hands while painting. That made us feel sad within. They completed the task on their own without asking for any help. They seemed cheerful while doing their painting.

 The kind of determination they showed was awestruck. The urge to learn something new was commendable despite going through severe pain. Maybe doing that activity wasn’t a regular task for them. We appreciated them as much as we could to make them feel better.

    

Their sickness did not resist them from enjoying the task to the fullest. Parents sat just outside that area. Some looked sad as they were thinking about their child’s illness or hospital bills. Some parents were smiling while seeing their kids happy. We clicked their pictures of holding canvas paintings. One of them was not ready to leave that place after the workshop. He just wanted to paint more.

They made us realize the true meaning of being fearless and living life to the fullest even in hard times. Art was also a kind of therapy for them.

Kids took their paintings and ran away to their parents. While seeing their child’s art, parents’ eyes became watery as they held back their tears. Kids entered that place unhappily in the beginning. Their smile broadened into a grin at the end of the workshop.

That made us emotional. We felt grateful for being healthy and fit. Those kids were going through so much pain though they did the task with a great sense of enthusiasm. One girl asked me whether she could take her painting back home. I said yes to her, the girl smiled. She ran to her mother to show the art. Her mother appreciated and told her that they would meet the doctor before going home. Suddenly her smile turned into worry after hearing the name of the doctor.

   When we were leaving the hospital, one of the kids called my friend didi and smiled. The kind of love they showed to us was heart-touching. As we came out of the hospital, we heaved a sigh of relief.

We all have called our grandmother’s house our second childhood home. But these have one more home that was the hospital’s bed. So, the hospital is like a second home for them. Nobody wishes to visit a hospital again and again.

These kids could have easily said no to the workshop due to their sickness. But they all came with an urge to learn and hope. Donation is the only thing we can do to make their lives happier.

Once you choose hope, everything is possible. 

 -   Christopher Reeve

 

        

 We need to have control over our minds and stop overthinking about the past or the future. The healing of pain starts when we understand, accept and overcome it. The curiosity to learn something new every day will surely help us to grow in our journey. Keep searching for new ideas, it will keep us filled with excitement and passion.

        

Don’t get too high with the highs, or too low with the lows, stay even keel.

-         Coach Kay Yow

Below are few donation websites links for cancer patients. 

https://www.giveindia.org/cancer-care

https://www.careindia.org/

https://tmc.gov.in/m_donation