01/08/2015
(Kheezran Ahmed from 41st batch shared her last 6 days experience with us)
On behalf of the 41st batch id like to thank SIUT for everything. Something I wrote for my experience;
SIUT did not make me the next mother Theresa, nor did it change me into a completely new person. What It did manage to do and I believe that many of my fellow volunteers can relate to is that it stripped away one layer from me and what that means is that the clothes on our backs aren't the only layers of protection or shields we have. On a deeper, more metaphorical level our true self gets hidden behind these layers or these masks. And they may be of greed, pride, ego, anger etc but they are there whether we are aware of it or not. And what SIUT managed to do for me was if not completely remove then at least start the peeling away of one of those layers.
These past six days made me experience a side of life completely new to me. I saw people who moved me with their resilience and perseverance to life and it's cruelty. I heard lectures and talks that inspired me and evoked in me the ability to think.
Before I came here I had never even given a single thought to the prospect of organ donation. I'll admit that I had taken SIUT as a means to a gain: a certificate. However as cliched as this may sound these six days broadened my perspective. It made me want to come back here and help out as much as I can. Not because of the certificates or the feeling of at least looking the part of a doctor wearing this white coat. No, it was the hospital, it's beliefs and ethics and the people that come here.
On our daily rounds I used to meet the patients and I asked them if they had any complaints about their treatment and such. And I swear all of them, clothed in ragged worn out shalwar kameez or wearing jeans and a shirt all sang praises of this institute.
Life is all about choices. We hear that so many times. But we don't chose our ailments. We don't chose to be born Poor or rich. To be born with kidneys that function properly or not. It's sad because things that are supposed to be a basic right: education, food, healthcare have become a commodity. It used to be survival of the fittest, not survival of the richest.
I can honestly say that what I took away from this experience was to not live in that bubble or shelter that we are born with. These are the harsh realities of society and once again, we have a choice. We can help too.
