I used to love spending weekends with my father. He used to always be there by my side. We were so attached but losing him turned my life upside down. He passed away completely out of the blue, he was diagnosed with 4th stage cancer suddenly. He was in excruciating pain, but before he passed away he told me “make sure you take all of my property and put it to good use.”
I used to work at the school in Sion where I had worked for many years and I resumed to work after few week. One thought of doing something for cancer patient made me restless. Two months later I met a doctor from Pune who told me that there was a hospital in Pune, where orphaned children were suffering from various stages of cancer, but were not given the right treatment because of the lack of resources. This was my calling & since then I had 28 children who called me Geeta Ma!
When I first met them, many of them were not expected to live beyond a few days but now almost a decade later most of them are still alive, healthy and happy. I’ve had a lot of volunteers who teach my children and people with large hearts who have donated for the children’s help. Since they are prone to infections, I myself am not allowed to visit them except on Sunday, that is the day I cook for them and feed them with my own hands.
I teach and counsel street & autistic children & talk to their parents too. There are beautiful people in this world who have always come forward to help & I am grateful to my family for all the support. That is the only way I can make sure I attend the chemo sessions of each and every one of these children, I never want them to feel alone in the hospital. They have so much of love to give.
By far the best feeling in the world is to cook for my children, they appreciate every little thing. I love cooking for them and the smile I see on their face is priceless. Like all mothers, my heart melts when they call me GeetuMa!
I came across this small girl few years back who wanted to study but her parents were not in favour and they did not have money so they made her work as a house maid. She cried to me for help and that’s when I met her parents. I convinced them and finally they agreed on one condition that I should take care of her education. So I spoke to my husband and like always he was supportive and the girl has done her engineering. I feel so proud and overwhelmed to see the change in these kids. I am trying my best and with the help of my father, I have contributed my small bit. I missed my father when I received awards, especially Abdul Kalam award. I know he must be smiling up there saying “Geetu you are my champ!”
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Story By – Mansi Dhanak | Mission JOSH
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