By Bee Hua Lok, Sook Yin Ho, and Hsiu-Lien Chu | India
Compassionate Care Eases End-of-Life Suffering
In India, Tzu Chi volunteers Bee Hua Lok and Sook Yin Ho visited impoverished families with local volunteers. They went to the villages of Bakraur and Silaunja to check on Kaleshwari Devi and her family, who are facing numerous hardships. Kaleshwari's husband is elderly, their eldest daughter has mental disabilities, and Kaleshwari herself is unable to walk upright due to an accident. Her younger daughter, Gori Devi, is the primary supporter of the family, but her own financial situation is also dire.
Upon arriving at Gori's home, the volunteers found Kaleshwari’s husband weak and suffering from bedsores after a fall two weeks earlier. The volunteers provided oral rehydration salts to help him recover. Gori shared her struggles with the volunteers, who encouraged her husband to find work to support the family and promised to follow up on his progress the following week.
Upon discovering the severity of Kaleshwari’s husband's wounds, the volunteers immediately notified the medical team. Medical volunteer Endrajeet Paswan warned the elderly man that the wound cleaning would be painful and urged him to endure it. Witnessing his suffering, the volunteers felt compassion and wished to alleviate his pain. Bee Hua Lok said, "When I first saw the wound, it was raw and red. We could feel his pain through his expression, yet he still greeted me with folded hands. I knew we had to find a way to ease his pain, which is why I thought of our medical team." The intersection of poverty and illness highlights the need for charity and medical care to work together to help those in need.
Continued Care and Blessings
On June 22, a team led by Kean Yee Khoo, Chun How Beh, and Bee Hua Lok, along with medical volunteer Endrajeet Paswan, visited Gori's home again. The elderly man's wounds had improved after treatment with antibacterial hydrofiber dressing, though he developed new bedsores. Despite the heat, volunteers helped clean the wounds and reminded Gori to turn her father regularly to prevent further sores.
The volunteers sang songs of blessing for the elderly man, wishing him a speedy recovery. Although weak, he expressed gratitude with folded hands. Kean Yee Khoo helped to adjust his posture to make him more comfortable.
Creating Blessings for the Deceased
On the evening of June 23, the volunteers visited the village in darkness due to a power outage. By candlelight, they saw Kaleshwari and the elderly man resting and informed Gori they would return in a few days to change his bandages. On June 26, the volunteers held the Bamboo Bank collection event as planned but learned that the elderly man had passed away the day before. They visited Gori's home to offer condolences and encouraged Kaleshwari to remember the good times and let the deceased rest in peace.
Despite her grief, Gori participated in the event to donate her bamboo bank to sow blessings for her father. The volunteers guided the family to transform their sorrow into strength, realizing that allowing the elderly man to be free from suffering was the best blessing.
