Solace Fundraiser in New England

Few months ago, I visited the main center of Solace in Trissur. I have been long associated with Solace, attend the fundraisers organized by the Solace New England Chapter, in Massachusetts, but this is the first time I visited Solace and was absolutely humbled by the experience. I’ve heard many stories about mothers who sacrifice everything and struggle just to keep their families afloat, but nothing prepared me for the moment I sat across from a mother who quietly confessed that she had skipped breakfast so her children could eat. Hearing her say those words—so calmly, yet teary eyed, as if it were just another ordinary day—became one of the most heartbreaking and humbling moments of my life. Another mother shared how she escaped from the father of her children who always would get drunk and physically abuse her and she continued living with him only because her child had Leukemia and she being uneducated, had no means to make the money for her child’s treatment. She further added, she walked out of that house the day he hurt their child too and came crying to Sheeba Chechi at Solace with her medically complex child in her arms. Solace immediately swooped her under their care and offered to pay for her child’s treatment and also gave her a job at Solace to help pay for her daily expenses and also provided her with a grocery kit every month. Today, that woman stands tall and lives a life filled with dignity — a right that had once been ripped away from her without mercy. For years, she carried the weight of silent suffering, doing whatever she had to just to survive. But now, when I saw a confident woman talking, reclaiming the respect, safety, and humanity she always deserved, it feels like witnessing a victory that is both deeply personal and profoundly powerful.

And this is just one story — one woman among many. At Solace, they carry a hundred stories like hers every single day. Stories of struggle, of survival, of dignity lost and painfully reclaimed. Each one a reminder that behind every quiet face is a battle we may never see, and an act of courage that deserves to be witnessed

I have a child with special needs and know a few families that do too. In all these families the fathers are invested just as much as the mother or sometimes even more, soI used to never understand it when people said, “You’re so lucky your husband helps you.” I would always think, Isn’t it his responsibility too? Isn’t this what partnership means?

But after visiting Solace, I realized something I hadn’t seen before — that having support is not just a duty fulfilled, it is a blessing, a privilege that so many women are denied. In those walls, I saw how rare it is to have a partner who stands beside you, how blessed are the medically complex children who have their fathers too as caregivers.

I owe Sheeba Chechi an apology. When there was a controversial statement in the Malayalam movie “Kaduva” and she reacted to it, I honestly thought it was such a silly thing and didn't warrant her reaction. But meeting the mothers in Solace who are actually blamed for having a sick child and believe this is the Karma of her sins, had me understand why Sheeba Chechi had reacted. Because this is what she sees and hears every single day — stories of pain, strength, and survival — she carries them in her heart like fuel. Fuel that keeps alive the embers of her purpose, driving her to reach out and lift up every mother who fights to survive what she once did.

Sheeba Ameer, umma to thousands of women, chechi to me, is the epitome of resilience. While accompanying her daughter through chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant at Tata Memorial Hospital, she found herself face-to-face with a reality that broke her heart. In the crowded corridors and waiting rooms, she witnessed families who weren’t losing their children to illness alone, but to poverty — a poverty so cruel that it stood between them and the chance to save their little ones. The weight of what she saw never left her; it changed her forever. Sheeba Chechi lost her daughter Neelu to Cancer, but her death wish and her passing gave Sheeba Chechi the courage to become a mother to thousands of other children and help them with their treatment. 

When we decided to visit Solace, I took my younger brother Unnikuttan and his lovely wife Lekha with us. I told him “Njan ninne deivathinde mukham kaanichu tharaam”, which translates to “I will show you God’s face”! 

Solace lives quietly in the deepest corners of my heart — not merely as a place, but as a heartbeat of courage. Each story of pain whispers lessons of strength, each mother’s struggle sparks embers of hope. It is a sanctuary where loss is met with dignity, and suffering is transformed into purpose. Solace has woven itself into the fabric of who I am, a quiet light I carry with reverence, gratitude, and awe.

The New England chapter of Solace is holding a fundraiser on December 20th at Sam Placentino Elementary School 235 Woodland St, Holliston MA 01746 from 4 pm to 8 pm. Please RSVP if you’re planning to attend and please consider donating at the link below:

Event RSVP: https://evite.me/dJVyMK2ju4

Donate:

GoFundMe – https://gofund.me/55195f789

For transfers from India, please ping me on messenger or whatsapp and I will share the details with you.

This giving season, let’s do something meaningful…