Tabish Khan, 13yrs, Male, Maharashtra

Tabish isn’t quite your regular teen. Unlike most, he finds civil engineering to be his true calling- Tabish would love nothing more than to construct buildings. His family of four- including a younger brother, aged 9 connected with Access Life in November 2017. Moving life from Amravati wasn’t exactly the easiest task for them.

In mid-October 2017, Tabish was diagnosed with soft bone tissue sarcoma at Rohat Private Hospital, Amravati. Life went for a toss-up right after- plagued with frequent hospital visits and chemotherapeutic counselling. He underwent surgery in his left knee at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. Tabish has braved through seven sessions of chemotherapy. “Problems- what are those?”, he says.

Tabish and his family’s stay at Access Life is at its half-year leg, and they have an entire bag of stories to share. According to him, his artistic skills have been through some serious sharpening. Cleanliness, at Access Life, is a primal value. The most significant change in habits has probably been his personal grooming. He’d only bathe on alternative days before, says Tabish, with a boyish smile.

Family and environment arguably play the most vital role in this time, says his father. With a safe and supportive space, the road to recovery is far smoother. All the pent-up stress from their frequent hospital visits is practically flung away once they’re back in familiar territory. Tabish’s biggest hope is to play hockey for the country someday- it’s his favourite sport. Support, guidance, hygiene, and optimism are values he holds close to his heart.