Upasana Ghosh

On Sunday, we visited Ronald McDonald house where we hosted a game night for the kids. We organized all the games we’ll be hosting and then came Analise, one of the resident there, who lives with her mom and just had a surgery. Her mother told us that she is the only girl and has three brothers. She called her the ‘boss’ of the house. It was so appropriate. She beat cancer, she is a fighter. I started playing ball with her and she really enjoyed it. Seeing her so happy made me happier. She told me that when she goes back, she can’t play any sport for one full year because of her surgery. She was upset about it. She was so calm about the big scar on her head, that it made me realize that people fight this battle everyday and the only way to keep your sanity is not to lose hope and live life as normally as you could.

There was another little boy named Isaac. He was so excited about us being there. I danced with him, played monopoly with him. He was just enjoying himself. And then, it was time for us to leave. He came running towards me and was trying to take me somewhere when I had to tell him that we were leaving. He said,” You are leaving?” And the way he said it, it broke my heart. It just hit me that we were there for only a couple of hours, but he has to stay there, go through all the procedures, fight for his life. He is just a kid and the strength he portrays is inspiring. I was really emotional after that evening. I felt a pit in my stomach. It was an incredible experience and the fact that we could put smiles on their faces for even a little bit gives me immense happiness.