Providence Sisters to widen mission to take care of destitute cancer patients
13 September 2024 02:15 am
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Going forward with their mission to serve the poorest of the poor and one of the helpless sections of our society, the Sisters of Providence, a congregation of Catholic nuns has initiated a project to build a caring home for destitute male cancer patients who have been abandoned by their families.
This is a major project for the reverend sisters who are already caring and looking after female cancer patients who have been ‘rejected’ by their own families especially at a time they desperately need love and care.
Started in 2016, the community of sisters who had been visiting the Maharagama Cancer Hospital had experienced the helplessness of patients who are specially neglected by their home front. Realizing the importance of this timely mission Sisters of Providence started ‘TALITHA CUM’-welcome home for Cancer Patients at Epitamulle Road, Pitakotte to look after female cancer patients not only to provide their medical needs but physical and psychological needs.
Though there is no regular income or dedicated funds, miraculously the entire cost to run the home and the patients’ meals, transportation and the medicines are provided by donations of well-wishers. After all this precious service is run by Sisters of Providence who depend on providence from above.
This is a major project for the reverend sisters who are already caring and looking after female cancer patients who have been ‘rejected’ by their own families especially at a time they desperately need love and care
But nothing comes easily as sisters have to work tirelessly as they are not rich enough to hire extra caretakers.
However, with undaunted courage the Nuns have decided to not only look after female but destitute male cancer patients by opening a house for them. With the aim to build a house with other facilities the Sisters are busy raising funds with different projects and have been inviting the kind hearted donors to join them to make their dream come true.
However the Sisters are of the opinion that however much they provide facilities to the patients, they cannot fill the void for love and affection that is desperately sought by cancer patients from their family members. The Nuns urge the society to accept and look after their family members with cancer. Sometimes sisters look after these patients and when they die arrange respectable funeral services.