They are dying

There was a man..lets give him the name John. He was well till last Nov when one day he suddenly couldn't swallow his food. He couldnt swallow water either. He went to see a doctor.

There is another man with 6 children between 20 and 7 years old. Lets call him Faiz. He had been feeling unwell for 1 year. Then within this 4 months he had a bony swelling over his right shoulder which was rapidly enlarging...

Then there is a single mother, lets call her Saraswathy, with a son, 10years old, who had a hard lump in her breast for 2 months. Her doctor prescribed antibiotics but it didnt help. Later she came to the hospital...

And all where diagnosed to have cancer....

John was not fit for surgery. A surgery to remove his oesophagus is very major cause the surgeons need to collapse his lung during the surgery. From last year till now, he has lost more than half his weight. He cant even swallow his own saliva now. He has financial difficulty and procedures are to slow to allow him a stent to relieve his obstruction. Today he was refered for palliative care.

Faiz's growth on the shoulder is too large that any surgery is no longer curative. His family has seen the doctor incharge of palliative care and are now deciding their next course...

Saraswathy was fortunate to have been diagnosed with breast cancer at an early stage. Her breast would be removed but she worries if she would live long enough to take care of her son, whom the father left when he was being formed.

Couldnt believe that the patients actually spoke to us about all this when me and my colleague are just mere enthuastic medical students who have yet seen the 'real' world.