By Tara Shah | Project Leader
Chini Sobha lives in Bishnumati area of Kathmandu valley with an extended four generation of her family that includes her great-grandchildren. Six months ago, she was diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to her bones and throat. As a result, she could not eat or drink anything and had severe vomiting. She was also in tremendous pain all the time. Chini was told that there were no treatments available for her cancer.
Her family brought her back home but they felt guilty that they could not do anything about Chini’s pain and inability to eat. Chini’s daughter-in-law, who is the primary care giver, recalls, “I did not feel like eating anything myself because my mother-in-law was not able to eat.” The BTF home hospice team visited Chini at her home and made care plan based on her needs. She was given medicines to help her with the symptoms, and the family members were counseled on how to manage her symptoms. Within a few days, Chini was able to eat semi-solid foods and her pain and vomiting were under control.
Her family is happy that Chini is back to who she used to be - a happy and playful person. Her children took her to several doctors for treatment, including those among the most well-known doctors in town but felt helpless and disappointed when they learned that Chini had terminal cancer. Chini’s daughter says, “If the very well-known doctors could not do anything about her disease, we thought there was no hope for her. But we are pleased that the home hospice care has allowed us to spend quality time with our mother without the worry of pain and discomfort that she was suffering from.” Another daughter added, “the best thing is to see her enjoy life again - to see her play with her great-grandchildren again.”
Before Chini got sick, she used to be a happy jolly grandma who enjoyed playing with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and taking care of them. But the pain and discomfort had weakened her a lot, and she could no longer enjoy life. The little great-grandchildren could not understand why grandma stopped playing with them, but they looked forward to the day grandma got up from her bed and played with them again. At age 85, Chini has terminal cancer but she is spending the last few weeks of her life among family - doing things she enjoys the most.
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