Access Life provides a loving & temporary home for the parent & the child undergoing the treatment for cancer.

This was our 3rd visit to the Chembur centre of Access Life. Having visited them last for Week 28,  it was encouraging to see that many children had recovered and moved back to their homes. 

 We started with our ritual of passing the parcel. There was a big circle of almost 50 of us - children, parents, and volunteers all sat and passed the ball quickly because a punishment awaited those who were out. We had dances, songs, and prayers - overall a lot of laughter. 

The experience is best summarised by one of our volunteers Sonal:
“The best feeling of happiness is when you are happy because you've made somebody else happy. Such was my state when I visited Access Life in Chembur. To begin with, we played passing the parcel not only with the kids but also their parents, it was fun to see everybody making an attempt to cheer the audience. That’s when I noticed Ankita, as a cute punishment from the game of passing the parcel, she had to sing a song, and so she did, sing one in Bengali, trust me her voice was so angelic and pleasant.

It made me want to know more about her, one day she was coming home from school during her 10th boards, she felt tremendous pain in her thigh, followed by a high fever. When they visited their family doctor, they asked them to get a sonography done and they found a tumor, as a result, she had to undergo a surgery which gave them a clear picture of cancer. All the while I listened to her never did she once tell me how sad she was or what all she had faced, she instead told me she used to take singing classes and would want to pursue her singing once she is cured with the support of her parents and also looks forward to taking her exams again.

Her never dying attitude made me realize how we need to focus more on life’s positivity despite the challenges it throws at us. Overall the experience made me more hopeful.”