Poetry brings hope for palliative care
Pravin's book Caught in the Mo(u)rning Rain has garnered many positive reviews
During ahome visit as part of a third-year elective on Children's Palliative Care at KK Women's and Children's Hospital, medical undergraduate R R Pravin from the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine met John*, a teenager with debilitating leukaemia. Doctors had exhausted all treatments and John's symptoms were being managed with palliation. Initially wary of yet another doctor, John was reserved at first, until Pravin asked simply: "How's school been? Before long, the two had formed a precious bond, discussing everything from history homework to the latest movies. Then a few days later, a medical social worker broke the tragic news to Pravin that John had suffered acute deterioration and passed away peacefully.
John was the inspiration behind Pravin's well-received book titled Caught in the Mo(u)rning Rain, a collection of poems inspired by his experiences working with terminally ill children and their families.
Struggling with his emotions, Pravin found himself penning down lines of poetry in between clinic sessions or ward rounds over a span of two months. Poetry offered a cathartic effect; a way to immortalise the strength and resilience of the children, whom he affectionately calls the "little survivors, as they continued to play with brave smiles in their own innocent world amid shedding tears during the toughest of treatments. He wanted to show another side of palliative care that is meaningful and rewarding.
"Where the terminally ill are typically considered taboo, my message is that children's palliative care is not about dealing with the dying but it is about helping them live one more day, he said.
Pravin hopes to raise local awareness and acceptance of children's palliative care. He also wishes to create a unified system to improve the quality of life for these children as well as increase the number of children-centric hospices in Singapore. As expressed in the Foreword of his book–"I believe that Paediatric Palliative Care has a long way to go and needs a captain at its helm. I am not going to rest till this ship sees shore.
A strong advocate for community service, Pravin has written books on many issues close to his heart since his first release in 2008, including on topics like slavery and the emancipation of women and children. He is currently working on his next book which will feature more experiences from his rotations in various hospitals.
You can tattoo my body
But not my steadfast spirit
Which remains undefeated
Clean of sin, holding my chin
Up high, higher than you'll ever see.
– an excerpt from Tattoo, one of the poems in the book.
Caught in the Mo(u)rning Rain is available online. Read the review.
*Name changed to protect patient confidentiality.
