Stepping out of Tata Memorial Hospital one day, Nihal Kaviratne was shocked to find Cancer patients sleeping on the pavement: some with tubes in their noses, others with bags and bottles attached, while yet others lay listlessly on cardboard sheets too weak to even lift their heads. It was obvious that there was an acute need for patients to have a clean place to recuperate and convalesce. Nihal saw this as an opportunity to provide recuperating patients a place to stay. He ran the idea by his wife, Shyama. After much deliberation, they thought that providing accommodation to children coming to Mumbai for treatment for Cancer would combine both their ideas: her passion for helping children and his vision of providing shelter to cancer patients. They decided that this was the niche they would work at filling—to provide a safe and clean living space for children to recuperate during their cancer treatment. Mr Kaviratne says, “Depressed minds and immune systems combine with a lack of hygiene to reduce survival rate.” Thus was born the St. Jude India ChildCare Centres, in February 2006. The first St. Jude Centre, at Mhaksar Hospital (Mumbai), for eight children was funded totally by the Kaviratnes.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 05:26:30 +0000
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