Our Patient Advocate of The Month for January 2021 is FOM City Chapter Leader from Hyderabad, Mr. Krishna Agarwal.
Krishna, although traditionally from Rajasthan, was born and brought up in Hyderabad. He grew up with his three sisters. It is here that he completed his school from Sujata High School and later obtained an Engineering degree in Information Technology from Aurora’s Engineering College in 2010. He currently lives with his parents and wife.
Krishna’s father was diagnosed with CML in 2005. In 2007, he was introduced to Friends of Max by FOM Trustee Pramod Agarwal. Since then, he has been regularly attending FOM’s Patient Support Group Meetings as his father’s caregiver.
Krishna has been very actively involved in FOM activities in and around Hyderabad since 2010. He modestly refuses to take any credit and attributes all the success to the collective effort of the team. “I don’t think I have done any great deed. Every person should actively participate in giving back to the society in their own capacity—be it money or time. I am just fulfilling my duty as a human being”.
He fondly remembers the 2015 FOM All India Meet, which was organized in Hyderabad. “I was majorly involved in this event as it was up to the Hyderabad City Chapter to make all the arrangements. I got to meet many doctors and interact with people from all over the country. It was a special experience.”
But Krishna says that the impact has not been unidirectional. According to him, FOM has impacted his personal life in a big way. He refers to Amma (Viji Venkatesh) as one of his biggest inspirations. It is from FOM that he has learnt that no matter the challenges life throws at us, we must face them with a smile.
When asked if he has a message he would like to share with other caregivers and patients, he says, “I feel inspired seeing the will power and courage of everyone in fighting CML. I would also like to ask everyone to take this as an opportunity to give back to the society and do whatever little we can in improving the lives of people who are less privileged than us. And make it a habit to contribute something every month- not just in money terms.”
