Page 60 - Essentia Vol 5 Issue 1

VOL V | ISSUE I | 5 AUGUST 2026 VOL V | ISSUE I | 5 AUGUST 2026
A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION
From the Diary of

a Palliative Care Physician

At first,
the corridors of Tezpur Cancer Centre
felt colder than winter rain.
I walked among shadows, Dr Krishnapriya Banerjee
carrying a stethoscope Palliative Care
and a heart full of questions. Tezpur Cancer Centre
Every ward seemed
like a silent railway platform.
Stage four patients sat waiting - or why illness chooses whom it chooses.
each holding an invisible ticket, Still, we can serve.
each listening for a different train. We can love.

Some trains were early, We can lessen pain,
some delayed. drop by drop.
Some journeys were long with suffering, Perhaps greatness
some sudden and quiet. is not in defeating death,
But the destination, strangely, but in helping someone feel
was the same. less alone before it.
The hollow cheeks frightened me. Life, after all,
The tired eyes followed me home. is still a celebration.
Loose clothes hung on fragile bones, So laugh while breath remains.
and dreams seemed packed away Love while hearts can feel.
like forgotten luggage. Hold each ordinary moment
Again and again, I asked: like sacred prasad in your palms.
What is my role here? Now I know:
Why offer hope God did not send me there
when God Himself seems to be calling them away? to conquer death.
Then one morning, He sent me
without thunder or miracle, to do His work quietly -
an answer bloomed softly within me. to relieve pain,
to soften suffering,
You are not here and to remind broken souls
to stop every train. that even at the edge of life,
You are here they are still deeply loved.
to sit beside the travellers.
To hold a trembling hand
when fear enters the compartment.
To wipe pain from a forehead.
To become a small lamp
in the dark waiting room of life.

We may never understand
why suffering exists,
why beautiful lives break,

60 Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and 61
vegetables to support oral health.