Good Samaritan: Now kids with cancer won't miss studies

Sometime in 2007, a visit to the oncology department of a local hospital changed Sandhya Sharad's life. The architect, who was working for a reputed real estate developer, noticed many children between ages three and 12 undergoing treatment for cancer. A conversation with their mothers opened her eyes to the fact that the children could not go to school during chemotherapy, the treatment for which usually lasts 6-8 months. Sandhya, 51, researched about cancer support groups in the city only to realise that most of them offered general palliative care and focussed on finding financial help for treatment. "There was no support group dealing with paediatric oncology without interrupting the child's education," she said. Her two-year discussions helped prepare the framework for her intervention.

In 2009, Sandhya founded Samiksha Foundation as a non-clinical mission. "I want to tap the innate optimism in every child, increase their happiness quotient and help them live as much a normal life as possible," she said. Families were taught to accept the child's condition and towards getting them back to normal life with pride and dignity .

Interestingly, the foundation is named after the six-year-old girl whose mother inspired Sandhya. "I do not know where the child and her family are but I have named it after her, hoping for good."

Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology , which had a separate wing for paediatric oncology , opened its doors to Sandhya, who invested her own money to set up a library of 850 books. She created a physical space within the hospital where children could be tutored and exposed to creative activities like music, art, pottery, origami, painting, puppet and magic shows. To offer spiritual support, she also included yoga in the mix.

Meanwhile, Sandhya quit her job to found her own firm called Sandhya Sharad Design. She is also a visiting faculty at The Oxford College of Architecture, where she teaches twice a week. She has a core group of eight people (all working professionals) plus floating volunteers. She delegates jobs and coordinates everything personally .

Since 2009, around 1,975 children have been taken under Samiksha's wing and 76% of them have gone back to school to continue their studies.