Kottayam: For over two years now, Akshara’s world has been confined beside a bed inside the Taluk hospital at Pampady here. At the age of eight, she dropped out of school to nurse her bedridden father, who was diagnosed with cancer.
Akshara is the younger daughter of the Vellappally Suresh-Sunitha couple from Nedumkunnam near here. Suresh (44) who used to work as a headload worker, was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer two years ago. By that time, it was already too late to fully cure the condition. Suresh was immediately rushed to the hospital here, while his wife Sunitha accompanied him as his bystander.
Little Akshara had no option but to be with her family, and her school life was completely upended. Now, this girl is taking care of her father; giving him medicines on time without any hesitation. As Suresh struggles with his voice, he writes down the names on paper and Akshara will simply follow the instructions.
Over time, Akshara has become a visitor to the ‘Aksrakkoodu’ library set up at the hospital here by ‘Nallapadam’ workers from the Kothala NSS School. She has started to borrow books from the library regularly and make her mother read them for her.
The story of Akshara came to light once Bhagyalakshmi Vijayan and Thulasi Krishnan – ‘Nallapadam’ coordinators at the NSS school, received intimation on the little visitor to their library. Akshara has an elder brother, who works as a professional welder after completing his plus two studies. He is the sole breadwinner of the family.
Sunitha’s friends, most of whom work as daily wage labourers, too are contributing a share of their income for Suresh's medical care.
Anyone who visits the Pampady Taluk hospital these days will not miss the heart-rendering scenes of the little girl reading books beside her father’s bed. This poor family is puzzled about whether they should raise money for Suresh's treatment or ensure better education for the little girl.
