Alone they walk!

On my way to the hospital, I watch the senior citizen in the first photo, almost every day, walking at a slow pace leaning on to his umbrella as he takes each step. He wears the same dress almost every day. His legs look weak to carry him forward. I found out that he completes a kilometre of walking every morning, all alone. 

I watched a man carrying a head load walking in the opposite direction. He too is alone, carrying his land for his kitchen or for the farm. 

A scooterist also passed that way around the same time. 

This sight was in my mind as I arrived the hospital. I saw a poster of the doctor's day celebration in the hospital. One phrase I noticed in that poster was, 'Doctors walks with you..'!

That caught my attention. 

It is the mission of doctors to walk with those who come with different illnesses. The doctors diagnose, investigate, treat and get people to wellness. 

The first family who walked in for consultation was from another country, spending a month to seek help for their child who was refused admission in a regular class because of his disorderly behaviour in the class. The parents have been going to different specialists in the hope of getting respite from the disruptive behaviour of the child. 

Listening to their story, I realised that both parents hardly sleep at night as their son sleeps sometimes past midnight. Sometimes he is awake through night and sleeps during the day. Their story was intensely disturbing and heart rending. 

Although we could get the family to look at their situation pragmatically with some tangible remedial steps, the reality of their aloneness in their struggle hit me hard. 

The sight of the staggering and faltering steps of the senior citizen, I watched on the road came back to me. One does not have to be a senior citizen to feel alone. Tis couple highly placed in their professional roles, living in popular city, was alone in their journey. 

How could I walk with them in this journey!

I asked the family if they could think of one practical help they need immediately. Quick came the answer from the parents, 'If only our son can sleep at night..'! I suggested medicine to be given at 8pm. Five days days later, the family telephoned to say that he slept soundly since the medicine was started which helped them to sleep. 

The routine of the child watching the cartoons through the night could be changed. The parents felt relieved after struggling with this for a year. 

One cannot as a doctor engage multiple issues at one time especially if a child is developmentally challenged! But there can be remedial steps which can disentangle a situation to make it more bearable. 

Many are lonely and at their wits end. 

Alone they walk through the travails of life. 

In the seventy fifth year of my life, I felt good to have been reminded of this opportunity to walk with people to lessen their burden! 

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)