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Meeting Mel

By EE-LYN TAN

educate@thestar.com.my

When Praveen Ravindran took on the job of helping an ALS patient, little did he realise that she would change his perspective on life.

PRAVEEN Ravindran wanted to earn some extra pocket money but was reluctant to settle for a conventional job in retail and marketing. It was with this in mind that he logged onto the University of New South Wales' official website to see what he could find.

A brief about a position as a student volunteer caught his eye and he sent in his resume.

Two days later, he was called for an interview; he started work soon after.

It was then that he met Mel*, who not only became his employer but also his friend.

A final-year medical student, Praveen was hired by Mel's daughters, aged 21 and 24 respectively, to keep an eye on Mel and help her with her research.

Mel suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that degenerates the motor neurons, leading to a progressive loss of motor skills. This condition is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease in the United States, where it is named after American baseball star.

Mel was diagnosed with ALS in 2004. Sadly, she also watched her husband suffer the same fate. Diagnosed with ALS in 2000, he died two years later.

As a former public health officer, Mel was determined to carry out research to look into the causes of ALS, despite the fact that her own health was deteriorating rapidly.

"ALS is a very rare condition; it only affects two out of 100,000 people in Australia," says Praveen.

"The current prevalence in the world is only five to 10 out of 100,000 people, so it was really unfortunate that both of them contracted it," says the 24-year-old lad, who hails from Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

A real struggle

When Praveen first met Mel in March 2006, her movements were already restricted to just her neck and eyes.

"She had problems speaking and swallowing. She also suffered from muscle spasms, which meant that her head was constantly tilted to one side," he says.

It is common for ALS patients to eventually lose all their ability to initiate and control voluntary movement except that of their eyes. And so, it was with her eyes that Mel communicated with Praveen.

Using a letter board to supplement her speech, Mel resorted to upward eye movements to spell out words, letter by letter.

"We struggled initially, trying to communicate with each other," Praveen says.

"It was very frustrating because she couldn't speak. Sometimes, she was tired and couldn't open her eyes properly. That made things even more difficult."

For six months, he rose to the challenge of caring for Mel two to three times a week.

"She was very fussy," he explains.

"Her wheelchair always had to be at a specific angle and her food had to be of a certain consistency because she had difficulty swallowing.

"There were days when I thought: 'I can't do this anymore.'

"It was then I really understood how her daughters felt - their helplessness and frustration - as they tried to provide their mother with round-the-clock care," he says.

People-oriented

From his time with Mel, Praveen learnt how important it was to be sensitive to the needs of others. Being a doctor does not mean one is automatically a caring person, says Praveen, who is the second of three sons of a physician.

"There is a difference between being a surgeon and a physician.

"As a physician, there are more chances to develop a long-term relationship with your patient."

According to Praveen, medicine is a blend of the sciences and the arts as one needs to be people-oriented as well as have a strong foundation in the sciences. That was what attracted him to the field in the first place.

"I was at a crossroads, contemplating a career in medicine or engineering," he says, adding that his father believed that he had the talent to succeed in either field. "In the end, I chose to do medicine because I wanted to help people."

Working with Mel has shown him how the line between being a doctor and a caregiver can start to blur, says Praveen.

Cliched as it may sound, Praveen grew to admire Mel and became very attached to her.

"She had this big smile and she was always so positive. She never gave up!

"I admire both her spirit and determination. She made it her life's mission to understand ALS and find out why both she and her husband contracted it."

Enriching experience

On average, patients are only expected to live one-and-a-half to two years after being diagnosed with ALS.

But famed British theoretical physicist and Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Britain, Stephen Hawkings broke the boundaries by becoming the only person to have survived it for 20 years.

The illness has progressed however, and Hawkings, 66, is now almost completely paralysed.

Mel died on Aug 31, 2006, after suffering a stroke in the middle of the night.

Praveen was very sad when Mel's daughter broke the news to him over the phone.

"I had grown close to her. Her death made me realise that I was vulnerable, that I wasn't made of stone," he says.

Despite this, however, Praveen readily acknowledges that knowing Mel has been an enriching experience.

"From a medical perspective, my time with Mel has taught me much about patient care.

"But what is even more important is that it has made me learn valuable lessons about life," says Praveen.

Today, Praveen is a student volunteer working with disabled people.

* Name has been changed to protect her identity.

http://thestar.com.my/education/stor...ation/20041968