THE GIRL WITH NINE SUPERPOWERS
Art has always coloured my life. With that in mind, I joined Assisi Palliative Care (AsPaC), hoping to share the joys of art with others. After training as a volunteer, I was sent out with Nurse Roohini on my first visit. Anxious, as I did not know what to expect, Nurse Roohini introduced me to a very sweet and always smiling young lady – Navasakti.
Navasakti, 19 years old, had Hereditory Sensory Motor Polyneuropathy. It is a slowly progressive inherited disorder affecting motor and sensory peripheral nerves which causes weakness of her muscles. She had to be on an assisted breathing device, a feeding tube and needed full aid with all activities of daily living. Her mobile phone was her window to the world where she connected with her many friends, mainly on whatsapp chat groups.
She had a great passion for music and BTS was her ultimate idol. She was also an avid reader and a writer with stories written online.
Being an artist, I introduced art journaling to Navasakti and was intrigued with her journal entries – from her interest in galaxies and planets to fashion, cooking, baking and such. This powerhouse will rock the world with her multi-talented capacity, I thought! So I suggested to her that she work on her next artwork, a self-portrait of her “9 Superpowers”, a literal translation of her name from Tamil to English.
I visited Navasakti every fortnight with art materials, books, magazines and anything I thought she would have loved to indulge in. With her always perfectly manicured and beautifully painted nails, to her confident and infectious carefree spirit, Navasakti was an absolute joy to be with!
I certainly hope that the little bit of art I shared with Navasakti brightened her days as much as visiting her brightened mine! I learnt a lot about life and living from this smart young lady, especially to always put on a smile and to hold your head up high no matter what the circumstances are!
Navasakti was surrounded by love with a close-knit family always by her side. Her affection for her family was evident by her strong bond with her doting father and devoted mother. For good times and endless fun her three siblings were her ultimate joy! Together they shared about music, school and friends; and they created star-filled walls in her room, bringing the bright endless universe home for their sister.
If you were to describe Navasakti in one word, she was just …… AWESOME!
Rock on in peace Navasakti. Your light and energy will always remain with us