A Teenager Cancer Counsellor

3 mins read

18-year old Khan Itrat has been counselling the cancer patients, how to live through with the disease

“I would take time to counsel other patients at ward who had almost given hope of their life. Some of them I found more complicated at their last stage of disease. But I would also motivate them for better life ahead until they are alive.”

 By Rubeena Paul
The 18 year old, Khan Itrat, who is herself the cancer patient is a new hope of survival for those who are suffering from the disease.

She has been counselling the patients of how to live with the disease and had been socially active since childhood. She would often participate in debates and seminars to discuss ways and means against soaring drug menace among local youth.

Photo: Xuhaib Maqbool
Photo: Xuhaib Maqbool

She has bagged half a dozen awards at intra state level competitions and dozens more at school level competitions. It was the month of September 2014 when this girl of congested downtown locality in Srinagar was preparing for her class 10 exams. This time the target was different.  The child of the carpet weaver in congested downtown locality of Srinagar city wanted to top the state board exams. Little did she know fate has something different in store for her.

Khan complained a mild pain in her leg and consulted orthopaedic in her locality. Medicines didn’t work and pain turned severe prompting her to go for further investigations.

At the valleys premier institute SKIMS, Khan and his old parents felt devastated after doctors diagnosed Itrat with blood cancer. Here the flight of her dreams grounded. For a while life became meaningless. In a society like Kashmir where cancer is synonym to death, hopes for this carpet weaving family also dashed. In her over ambitious life, Itrat took pause and redrew her life strategy.  “This was the harsh reality for me and I had to live with that. I took it as blessing from Almighty and made it sure to fight it back,” Itrat says.

However, when Itrat was admitted in hospital for advanced treatment, she forgot her own plight while finding more complicated such cases in her ward.

“I had surfed internet to know how I can live with this problem till I get cured. I had also better understanding of subject, its symptoms and complications,” Itrat says, while hopping for some miracle to happen to cure this disease.

“I would take time to counsel other patients at ward who had almost given hope of their life. Some of them I found more complicated at their last stage of disease. But I would also motivate them for better life ahead until they are alive.”

While Khan is still receiving calls from the patients for counselling, she is personally thankful to one of her school friend Tanzeel Showkat.

“See at this point I am more in need of financial support to continue my treatment. But Tanzeel offered me beyond that standing with me all the time,” she says.

“She would talk to me whenever I am depressed. Nurse me emotionally. Even her family on March 13 on my birthday came to my home and celebrated my birthday with my parents when I was admitted in SKIMS.”

While the things were changing for good and Khan was optimistic for her recovery, her life again took twist after doctors at SKIMS suggested her to move out of valley to change bone marrow last week.

Khan is the only child of her parents. Had she any more siblings, the treatment would have cost relatively less. She needs INR 65 lakhs for the treatment if her parents would donate bone marrow which has the highest success rate. The donor’s bone marrow would cost around INR 18 lakhs with very less success rate.

“My parents insisted me that they will sell their ancestral home for my treatment. But I refused since I am not sure whether I will be cured,” she says. More than medicines and financial support, Khan believes in miracle from Almighty and seeks prayers which change the “destiny of human beings”.

Khan is presently spending her time in reading comics and watching television. Being an only child of family, she doesn’t wait parents to attend guests and behaves like a next door girl and not letting her diseases to come in her way.

“You don’t know what comes next. I live every day of my life. Even when I go for therapy I would dress properly,” Khan shows the spirit and commitment to fight this disease bravely.

“Once I win war against this disease, I will dedicate my life to the cause of people suffering from same problem.”

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The story has appeared in the print edition of March 30, 2016.

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