Christmas with Access Life!

This year we started out Christmas celebration with a fantastic endeavour. We visited Access Life, an NGO that provides food, shelter and transportation to cancer afflicted children. My friends, Shreya & Star, my mother and I went to Access Life and spend some fun time with the children. We gave them Christmas gifts and brought smiles to their faces.
What surprised me the most was the carefree and exciting faces of the children. They all seemed so happy and thrilled in each other’s company. They were playing around, We could hardly believe that were suffering from cancer. There is so much to learn from these beautiful souls! They make the entire place so happy, positive and entertaining! We just did not feel like leaving the place. The children made our Christmas so special with their positive vibes. May God bless them always.

Access Life has tied up with Tata Memorial Hospital, KEM and Sion Hospital for helping cancer afflicted children. Each time a child and their family travel to Mumbai for treatment the said hospitals gets in touch with Access Life. If there is a bed available then Access Life goes out of their way to help the family. Their mission is to offer home-like environment for family at no-cost. They also try to improve the quality of life of these children by providing practical support services, educational resources, and recreational programmes. There are 8 rooms in total. The rooms and kitchen and very clean, comfortable and the environment is very dignified and happy. We were talking to some of the family members of the children and they were all praises for Access Life.

Packing gifts for the children!

In a country where care for the needy has long been accepted as dismal, Access Life is working to not only fill in a large need gap but also to fundamentally change this mind-set.

That's us, with Star, Shreya, Mom & the children!

In case you want to share your happiness with these children then please feel free to get in touch with Acess Life at:

Acces Life Assistance Foundation,
6 Jolly Chamber Land, CHS Ghatia Village Road, Chembur East, Mumbai 400071

Phone: +91 22 2521 2511

Email: contact@accesslife.org

ICU – Day 2

The second day at the ICU was one of my toughest days of my life. When the physiotherapist tried to make me sit I found it extremely difficult. I took so many things for grunted and today I could not even sit properly nor could I walk. The pain of sitting down brought back many images – how I took my career for grunted and cribbed about the late hours of my work. How would grumble about my paintings taking time to sell. Now sitting at the ICU I wished I could turn back the clock and stopped critiquing simple things in life. The depression just kept getting deeper and deeper. It felt like I was slowly going to hit a wall. A wall that is about to crash my hopes, my dreams and my life!

Dr. Geeta Malkan Billa
Consultant hepathologist 
(liver transplant),
liver transplant physician, 
Gastroenterologist.

My gastroenterologist, Dr Geeta Billa, tried to cheer me up, but the depression kept nagging me. My schoolfriend Jaita Guha, tried to uplift my mood. She had got story books and colouring books for me. But nothing seemed to work. I just wanted to sit properly sans the pain and the discomfort and it just did not happen. After lying down in the ICU bed ,when I closed my eyes but could see nothing. Suddenly the future seemed dark and void of life.

My school friend, Jaita.
She took off from work to make my day!

Thats us, after I visited her after getting discharged from the hospital!

During the shift change I saw nurses and doctors leaving for their home to their loved ones - this depressed me further. Even I wanted to go home to my mom, my family and my friends. But alas!

Dr. Arpita Dwivedy,
ICU head, 
Hiranandani Hospital, Powai

But every tunnel of darkness comes to end. Mine came to an end thanks to my friend Jaita and her brave words and Dr. Arpita, the head of ICU Hiranandani Hospital, Powai. I requested Dr Arpita to recite the Hanuman Chalisa for me. And she did. She recited the Chalisa 2 times for me. I remember shuting my eyes with tears rolling down and hold her hand and listening to the Chalisa. I can never forget this divine experience. After sometime I could see the tall green Hanuman standing behind her with folded hands. Even with my eyes close I could feel His presence. I kept seeing Him even after the doctor left my bedside. It was an experience I could not forget.

Post this I kept dreaming about the good times I had with my friends the parties, the lazy afternoon gossips, office get togethers, time spend at Temple of Miracle (the spiritual space where we mediate with my spiritual gurus, Leesha and Sonu Aunty, and have fun). My strenght was gradually coming back and I started feeling positive again. Jaita’s words – this is just a phase- kept me going. Some friends with their strong warrior attitude make so much of difference in your gloomy moments!

Then came the big news from my onco-surgeon, Dr Mehta. He visited me a night and gave me the best news possible – lets remove your nasal pipe‼ Yipppeee. I could have jumped out of my bed in joy. Initially I requested him to shift me out of the ICU to the hospital room! In his soft spoken and calm voice he said – just 1 or 2 more days and you will be out of here. But after hearing the news of removing the nasal pipe my cribbing vanished and I was all smile and energetic. Suddenly I was in party mode – happy, gay and absolutely blissful!

Dr. Sanket Mehta
Sr Oncology Surgeon

The removal of nasal pipe I thought would be painful. But NO, its not. I felt so liberated, excited and on top of the world. Suddenly Jaita’s word – this is just a phase – made so much of sense. And yes for the next 1 hour, I kept feeling my nose from every angel. It felt overwhelming to get back your nose sans any pipes‼ Never felt so intimate with my nose!

Post this it the recovery happened at a rapid pace!





Learning: What I learned was that there are pockets of darkness everywhere, but there is light too. And I am the light of lights! The light inside us is so bright that it can fade away any dim and gloomy moments in minutes. Just belief in yourself and in God!

Tips: Always share your depression with the doctors. They will help you get over it. Dont hide anything in the ICU. Coz if you hide your depression from the doctors and family members it will suck you to an never ending land. 

Always belief in your Gods, They will deliver you to good health.

Thank you guys for being there for me on my darkest days!