PADANG, WEST SUMATERA — “I’m the healthy one, gets drained, let alone my wife who is the one experiencing. At the beginning of knowing that he had cancer, she was really shocked,” admitted Ricky (43), softly, revealing the story of his beloved wife, Sagita Rohana (42), who has breast cancer.
While fighting her illness, Sagita has done 4 (four) chemotherapies. Later, he just finished running the operation at the Padang Ropanasuri Surgery Special Hospital. Previously, chemotherapy was done every 3 (three) weeks, after that the schedule was to see a doctor, then a heart check, a report of check results, then chemo again.
“It’s all round-trip. Because there are quite a lot of day breaks on each schedule, not all at once in one week. There are still 4 more chemotherapy times,” Ricky said.
From their residence in Kerinci regency, Jambi, they struggled to carry out outpatient treatment at the referral hospital at Ropanasuri Padang Hospital. Her children were entrusted to Sagita’s brother, during the outpatient treatment.
“The distance from Kerinci to Padang is about 5-6 hours drive. Taking a travel bus costs IDR 150 thousand per person. So if the two of us go back and forth, we have been found out for IDR 600 thousand. I had thought about finding a rented house, where did we know we had a long time for treatment? But the rent is not bad too,” Ricky complained.
Almost all sweat-wielding efforts are tired. However, that’s how tough consistency is the real test of Ricky and Sagita. While looking for information related to renting a house, they also received a recommendation for a halfway house from a colleague who remembered one of the activists of da’wah Dompet Dhuafa Singgalang who told them about the patient’s free lodging, the Sehati Shelter located on Jl. Banjar No. 77 PT KAI Complex – Sawahan Timur, East Padang District, Padang City.
Also Read: https://www.dompetdhuafa.org/olyvia-zalianty-blusukan-ke-shelter-dompet-dhuafa-di-rscm/
“Stayed here (at the Shelter) after chemo and secondly before surgery. Don’t know how long it will last? I get the info here when there is really an empty room, so there is no need to wait, thank God there is convenience. Yes, it is very helpful and very easy for us,” admitted Ricky, met by the Dompet Dhuafa Team at the Sehati Padang Shelter on Thursday (6/10/2022).
However, after doing road proneness and treatment in the hospital, to staying at the Sehati Shelter, Ricky and Sagita are faced with something new. They met many other survivor comrades and slowly raised their spirits.
“In the hospital and at the Shelter, we met other survivor comrades. I saw the wife, she got her spirit up. My wife encouraged other survivors instead. Perhaps from that, we see a new reality of the ordeal that came, fellow survivors. Maybe even our suffering is nothing compared to other survivors,”
“If there is no enthusiasm, what’s the treatment for? Because of this, hopefully, there will be wisdom, “Ricky concluded. (Dompet Dhuafa / Dhika Prabowo)