News and Events

Tapasya Stone Laying Ceremony in Mangalore

We cannot always cure, but we can definitely care. Comfort-oriented care sometimes mandates a greater ingenuity and deeper commitment than what critical care can offer. Tapasya is the brainchild of the visionary activist Mrs. Sabitha R. Shetty and her dedicated team of volunteers who have made it their life mission to address and alleviate the sufferings of children faced with life threatening illness. As many as five highly revered philanthropists of our state graced this occasion with their dignified presence, politely refusing any photo opportunity in line with their towering conviction rooted in providing anonymous and selfless help.

Nothing can be more tragic than abandoning a child in need of life-sustaining treatment due to familial and financial inability to provide Palliative and/or hospice services in such cases is medically, morally and ethically indefensible. There is an acute need for Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) in countries like India where childhood cancers or other serious life-threatening ailments – whether severe malnutrition, Leukemia, brain tumour, bone cancer, HIV, resistant TB, or DMD – which are invariably diagnosed at a later stage when curative options are extremely limited.

Tapasya will make every effort to help as many children as possible to benefit from disease-modifying or life sustaining therapy in combination with palliative care irrespective of the costs involved. It is a matter of great pride for all of us that Karnataka is only the 2nd Indian state to recognize the need for Palliative care through policy measures, thanks to the tireless activism of Dr. Lingegowda.