The service-minded don’t know the meaning of retirement. Sundari Vishwanathan (65) srerved as a nurse for 30 years at a government hospital in Delhi. Now in Chennai, her hometown, she works still.
“I came to the city in 2007 after my retirement. For one year I was bound to the house and was itching to do something for others. In 2008, when I heard about Vasantha Memorial Cancer Trust in Ashok Nagar, I wasted no time to join the team to help out cancer patients,” says Sundari, who has also served as an Army nurse for eight years.
Her role in the trust is to impart education not just to junior nurses but also patients coming for consultation and treatment. She conducts workshops organised by the trust at various places including schools, colleges, hospitals and corporate houses.
“The main focus is on breast cancer. We want people not to be scared of the disease. It is treatable when diagnosed early. So self-examination tips are the central theme of every presentation I make,” she adds.
Sundari never says no to her patients.
“If someone is unable to buy a medicine, I sometimes buy it for them. If a patient is bed-bound and needs my help, I go to his/her residence,” she says. Apart from her cancer awareness programmes, she also teaches yoga. “The best way to ward off diseases is by exercising. Even cancer patients can do yoga. It in fact helps in their treatment. So I teach it to the patients and others .”
She is also a volunteer with SMILE and reads out to blind students under the Karna Vidya project of Rotary Club every week.
She also wants to popularise the trust she works for.
“It was started by Dr. Ramanathan in memory of his mother. Many in Ashok Nagar don’t know about its existence. The donation-run institution is service-based and offers free treatment to poor patients and treatment is subsidised for those who can afford. All one needs is a salary slip and residential proof,” she adds.
The trust also encourages upcoming artists by conducting a musical programme called Endrendrum M.S. once a month, where artists perform songs of the great M.S. Subbulakshmi. For those coming for chemotherapy, classes are conducted on regular basis in knitting, crochet, painting and embroidery.
“Even attendants can join the classes. We also have volunteers reading out to patients. Sometimes we also help sell the products made by our patients,” says Sundari.
