“Love alone can put an end to the
sufferings of the world” – The Mother
Action can begin anywhere and the story of
Dora Vandana is a remarkable inspiration that can even stir a stone into
action. Surrounded by tubes in the cancer ward of JIPMER hospital she fought
death and won and came up with a novel idea of setting up an organization –
Quilling Cancer.org ! What was just an idea soon became a reality with the help
of friends and family who sourced quilling paper, glue and the other things
necessary into her ward.
From the diary of Dora Vandana: Her Cancer
Soul
“She was a happy and beautiful soul until
that day. Her blood results showed possible blasts
which meant she had to undergo bone marrow
tests to confirm if she had the dreadful Blood
Cancer or not. Her perfect little world
shattered into a million pieces the moment she heard the
news. She thought this was the end. Giving
up seemed more easier than fighting back. The
doctors explained about the treatment
process i.e. chemotherapy. None of what they said seemed
to make sense. Why me? Why now? Am I
being punished for something I did? She had all
strange questions in her mind. She couldn't
stop crying. She didn’t know if crying actually helped
but that was all she could do for the next
couple of days.
She was surrounded by loved ones as soon as
they heard the news. She could not utter a word to
any of them. All she did was hugging them
and cry. Slowly she started seeing the loved ones -
family and friends around her and realized
she had so much to live for. She was neither ready to
leave them nor ready to let go of
everything. She wanted to be a part of all her loved ones lives
for many years to come. It was then she
realized she had a reason to live, a purpose to strive.
She saw a little girl. That little one did
not look different from any other 5 year old, but this one
was different. They were both stuck in the
same oncology ward. She was drawn to the little one’s
energy and zest for life. She also met
doctors who strive 24/7. All they ever wanted was that their
patients should get well. They not only
treated her disease but helped her to stay happy and
remain positive throughout this ordeal.
Neither the little one nor the doctors may know that in
her most crucial time, they were her true
heroes.
She had to go through 4 intense cycles of
chemotherapy. She had excruciating pain which made
her want to scream, which she in fact did
most of the time. It was 5 long months of being locked
up inside a hospital room. She was in
hospital for her most favorite holidays of the year -
Christmas, New Year and Easter. She just
wished these holidays to be better next year.
She spent more time with family. She didn’t
have a choice. She learnt to pray again. The days
were painful. She wished to be dead than
undergoing all this. But she survived each day and this
gave her faith. She believed in the
existence of God. She considered herself blessed because she
didn't have to go through any of this
alone. She had a loving and supporting family and friends.
Without them she was not sure what the
outcome would have been.
After 5 long months in hospital she was
home again. It felt good to be home. But when she
looked at herself in mirror she saw an ugly
bald and fat shapeless figure. She was no longer
pretty. She couldn’t recognize the image in
front of her. She was too shy to go out or meet new
people. But only she knew what her body
went through. She realized it didn’t matter how she
looked because her loved ones continued to
love her. Although she was happy to be home and
happy to be in remission she couldn’t sleep
at nights. She was too scared to close her eyes and
sleep. She thought she would wake up with
Cancer again. She couldn’t bear the thought of
having to go through all this again. With
each passing day she said to herself even if she had to
go through all of this again she wouldn’t
be alone. She would still have her family and friends
around.
Cancer changed her whole outlook of life.
She didn’t realize how much she took life and health
for granted until she knew hers was in
jeopardy. Everyone said she was courageous throughout
but she thought it was survival and anyone
would have done the same.
But looking back at it today, she realized
it did take courage and strength to face Cancer the way
she did. Until then Cancer meant death but
now she had a whole new definition for it. Cancer
made her realize it didn’t matter how she
looked or what odds she had to face- she was ever
ready to face them all. She now considers
each day as a blessing.
She not only survived but evolved as a
warrior...!!!!”
Today Quilling Cancer.org’s facebook page
has, in a short time received over 500 likes and over
200 orders for her designer beads and
fusion jhumkas which she designed at the hospital. And on
the eve of August she donated her first 100
sets of coloring books and crayons for the children
who were admitted in the cancer ward.
About the immortal Self it is said in the
Bhagavad Gita in the verses 23 and 24 of the Second
Adhyaya:
That which no weapon can decapitate
That which no inferno can incinerate
That which even the waters can wet not
And which the mighty winds can dry not |23|
This ‘Self’ indestructible and
incombustible
Is immutable, imperishable and insoluble
In its inertial stillness it is omnipresent
Ageless and timeless, everywhere it is
present |24|
Her page information reads: “We Quill to
Kill the psychosis that comes with Cancer. The
proceeds of the sales amounts that come
from our quilling go to help the cancer victims.”
Whosoever may be interested can visit
https://www.facebook.com/quillingcancer
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