When Manju found a small wound on the right side of her chest, she went to a clinic in Raxaul for treatment. When it grew worse, her children took her to a cancer hospital, and the biopsy revealed that she had breast cancer.Manju’s family lived on the wages from her son’s daily labor at a watch repair shop. They lived in a rented home, and the owner was pressuring them to move out so that her cancer would not spread to others. Her neighbors were also afraid they would catch the disease and refused to visit her.

By the time her son asked an EHA community health team to get involved, Manju was lying on a dirty bed in filthy clothing, suffering from fever. Her pain was unbearable and the wound had grown in size so that she had trouble lying down, getting up, sitting, and sleeping. She felt helpless, was full of despair, and wanted to die.

The team gave Manju a bath, dressed her in clean clothing, and made her bed with fresh coverings. Over many visits they met her physical needs and dressed her wound, and once trust had grown with her family members, the team trained them in how to care for her. They also taught the family how to pray, how to forgive others, and how to apologize. Because of the team’s emphasis on healthy relationships, family rifts were healed.