A Small Thing Like a Baloon

It is hard to imagine what goes through the mind of a child undergoing intensive cancer treatment. That’s why, developing a rapport with play therapists like Bushra -who understand their psyche- is an important part of paediatric cancer treatment at Shaukat Khanum Hospital (SKMCH).

“I have been working here for 5 years,” says Bushra, who lost her mother to cancer. “It’s very hard sometimes but at the end of the day when you see the smile of a sick child, it lights up your entire day.”

Bushra’s work goes a long way in helping children win the psychological battle that can often crush the spirits of a cancer patient. Counselling and Play Therapy are an important part of the holistic treatment we provide.

“There was a child here who, after prolonged treatment, became catatonic,” Bushra recalls one of the more serious cases she’s had to tackle. “His name was Abdullah. He was bed-ridden and his eyes were always closed. The doctors told me he was not responsive to anyone, but I’d had a good rapport with him from before, so I had to try.”

“I called out to him a few times, and then asked him how he was doing. I told him I really missed him and had brought him a balloon. I put the balloon forward, and he lifted his arm towards it, and that little movement was a big success for all of us. A balloon is a small thing, but for a child it is the best thing in the world when it can bring a smile to his/her face.”

A small thing like a balloon can make a world of difference to a child suffering from cancer. We know this because we know that half the battle against cancer is psychological. Yet how many other hospitals in Pakistan provide holistic care; where psychological factors are addressed alongside heavy cancer treatment?

“We recently celebrated our ‘Survivor’s Day’,” says Bushra “where previous patients visited the hospital, and all our under treatment patients were invited so they could get coping strategies from cancer survivors. We honoured them all like war heroes for winning this battle. It is so heartening to see survivors of cancer who left SKMCH and are now doing things with their lives. One of the earliest child cancer patients here went abroad for university, graduated and now has come back to work in the marketing department at the Hospital.”

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