It was a fall from a jackfruit tree around 13 years ago that made P Sivadasan, a labourer in Cherukulathur, confined to the four walls of his house in Panayangadu, Kozhikode. But his days of treatment at the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kozhikode gave him a new life.
Now the 53-year-old man is busy conducting training programmes across the district.
When asked to share his inspiring story for those who have lost hope in life, Sivadasan says:“During my days as a coolie I was overconfident about my abilities and physical fitness. Everything ended with a fall from a tree.
“My days as a bedridden patient gave me an opportunity to think over my life.”
A father of two children, Sivadasan struggled a lot during those days to make both ends meet. Without proper muscle coordination and mobility, he spent his days at his dilapidated house.
“It was the Institute of Palliative Medicine that instilled confidence in me to live an active life,” says P Sivadasan, who has already given a consent letter to donate all his organs.
He registered his name at the Pain and Palliative Care Centre in 2008. “Sivadasan’s commitment and enthusiasm made him a guest trainer here,” says coordinator of Footprints, Jose Pulimoottil. He further says: “Sivadasan is a patient who inspires the rest to surpass all their physical limitations.”
He became an expert in umbrella-making after attending the umbrella-making class offered at the centre. “Though I find it difficult to sit and work for a long time, the final product gives me much confidence and pleasure. I have made around 15 umbrellas per day for IPM alone,” he says.
The training classes at the centre gave him the confidence to conduct classes in making soaps, umbrellas, ornaments out of waste paper and electronic chalks.
Sharing his happiness to be a part of the training programme, he says: “Now I can proudly say that I am not begging before anybody to meet my needs. For patients like me, the institute offers long-term caring in all sense.”
The district panchayat has already approached him to conduct training classes for housewives and children at Nandi and Narikkuni, Kozhikode in the coming weeks.