Nalini has an extremely busy schedule, participating in various sessions and counselling people from across the country over the phone. All of 74, she is full of life and zeal.
Nalini starts her day with a hot cup of ginger tea. She then prepares her meals with her sister Rajani. She almost has a fixed daily routine where she dedicates her morning time playing her flute and singing bhajans.
Meet Nalini Sathyanarayanan, a cancer warrior and an AUM Voice Prosthesis user. She lost her voice 10 years back but what she never lost, was Hope. Speak to her and she will talk to you with such enthusiasm that you will love to continue talking to her. Volunteering for organisations like Bangalore Bruhad Metropolitan, Pink Hope Survivors and Institute of Public Health, she tirelessly educates people on the effects of passive smoking. She has been a part of various projects on tobacco free Bangalore. She has her diary full with meets and projects, still she doesn’t complain. She is rather happy to share that she has never been so busy, not even when she was bringing up her two kids and had to take care of everyone in the house. She talks affectionately about her two kids. Although an MPHIL by qualification, she feels proud of being a homemaker.
Sharing her story, she says that her husband was a chain smoker. While spending so much time sitting next to him, she didn’t realise when she silently became a victim of passive smoking. After the sad demise of her husband and her kids settling down, she continued to live in her ancestral house with her younger sister. When she gradually started having difficulty in speaking, she consulted a doctor. She was then diagnosed of cancer.
When the doctors removed her voice box, Nalini felt lost and heart- broken. It pained to be unable to talk to her grandchildren even when they were around her. She would many times try to speak but her voice would not be audible. She faced difficulties but kept on trying to find a way to speak.
It was then that Nalini met Dr Vishal Rao and got to know about the AUM Voice Prosthesis. Post-surgery, she gradually learnt to speak once again. Her heart swells when she remembers how her little granddaughter would teach her to speak alphabets. She would love those lovely sessions with her granddaughter. She even got her a flute and asked Nalini to try playing it. Nalini did it all successfully. She has a collection of colourful bibs matching her sari which she has made on her own.
It has been 10 years ever since, Nalini has never looked back. She has joined hands with Dr Vishal Rao and Innaumation Medical Devices to spread awareness about throat cancer. She is an integral part of the AUM Voice Chain and she is available to counsel people on phone and whatsapp to understand the effects of the throat surgery and life after laryngectomy. She plays a pivotal role in helping people conquer the fear of surgery. She even guides them about post -surgery care and cleaning of the stoma and voice box.
She is a warrior in the true sense. She is a role model, a lively soul and a superwoman. Innaumation salutes her fighting spirit and is proud to have Ms Nalini Sathyanarayanan as a voice of AUM.