Book binder turns saviour for poor cancer patients at AHPGIC

Cuttack: A 54-year-old book binder of the city has dedicated his life to helping patients at Acharya Harihar Post-Graduate Institute of Cancer (AHPGIC) after witnessing a series of cancer deaths in his family.
Abhimanyu Das, of Netaji Nagar area here, offers a wide range of services to support patients. He provides counselling to those struggling with emotional distress and reaches out to individuals who have discontinued their extended treatment.From dressing wounds to offering food to those in need, he takes the patients for various tests prescribed by the doctors.

Beyond medical care, he goes above and beyond to ensure the overall well-being of patients. He assists them in navigating to the hospital, guiding them to various departments for necessary tests and examinations. Recognising the financial challenges many face, he directs patients and their attendants to charitable homes near the hospital for a safe and comfortable place to stay during their treatment.
Abhimanyu’s journey to help cancer patients began after facing personal bereavement.
“Four of my family members — my mother, elder brother, father-in-law and brother-in-law — died due to cancer. I felt the pain and suffering of a cancer patient,” said Abhimanyu.
In 2002, Abhimanyu met with a road accident and was advised bed rest for more than 10 months. During this period, he read many stories in newspapers about poor patients requiring financial help. He started using the money saved from his business to help these patients, and thus began his journey.
Every day at 9.30 am, Abhimanyu goes to AHPGIC to serve the people and returns home at 2.30 pm to continue his book-binding work. He gives importance to destitute and poor patients and helps them as per their need. “I will serve people till my last breath,” said Abhimanyu. Even the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t deter him from helping patients. Taking all safety guidelines, he continued helping patients in AHPGIC, which had reported over 400 Covid-19 cases in the initial days of the pandemic.
Recently, Abhimanyu helped Mohammad Raju, a daily wager from Rourkela suffering from oral cancer, who was abandoned by his family members. Abhimanyu initiated Raju’s treatment at AHPGIC and is looking after him.
He also informed Childline and a local shelter home to take care of Raju’s two young children. Abhimanyu has also cremated over 1,700 bodies since 2003, even before frequent ambulance services started in Cuttack.Das earns around Rs 12,000 to 15,000 per month from book binding.
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