When Rushmie was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in 2004, she never imagined that the experience would one day shape how she showed up for others.
At the time, Rushmie was living and working overseas, focused on her career and future. She described herself as naturally introverted and happiest working behind the scenes.
Her diagnosis changed the direction of her life.
Rushmie returned home to Sri Lanka, where her family became an important source of support as she began navigating life with CML. Through that experience, she came to understand that while treatment is essential, patients often need much more than medicine.
They also need someone to listen. Someone who understands. Someone who can help them find their way through the practical challenges that come with illness.
That realization became the foundation of Rushmie’s work in her community.
Turning Experience Into Support for Others
Today, Rushmie supports people living with CML and their caregivers across Sri Lanka.
Her approach often starts with listening.
Some patients want to talk about what they are experiencing. Others are looking for reassurance from someone who understands the uncertainty that can come with a diagnosis.
Having lived through those moments herself, Rushmie is able to offer something deeply personal: the comfort of being understood.
“Sometimes the greatest healing comes from knowing that someone truly understands,” she said.
Her support also extends to the everyday realities patients and families may face while seeking care.
Some travel long distances for treatment and may need help navigating challenges related to food, accommodation, or finances. Whenever possible, Rushmie helps connect patients and caregivers with organizations and networks that can provide practical support.
For Rushmie, these connections matter because a person’s need do not stop at the clinic door.
Finding Meaning in Small Acts of Care
Rushmie’s commitment to others extends beyond the CML community. She volunteers with the Indira Cancer Trust, spending time with children through art and craft activities that bring creativity, color, and moments of joy into hospital wards.
She also serves snacks to patients waiting through long clinic hours.
These gestures may appear simple, but Rushmie sees them differently.
“Being present for someone is the greatest gift you can offer,” she said.
For someone facing a difficult day, a conversation, a snack, a creative activity, or simply having another person nearby can carry real meaning.
It is this willingness to notice what someone needs and respond with care that has become central to Rushmie’s role in her community.
A Purpose She Never Expected
World Humanitarian Day recognizes people who dedicate their time, energy, and compassion to helping others.
That spirit of service is not limited to large humanitarian responses. It can also be found in communities, hospitals, and support networks, where people quietly help others navigate some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Rushmie is one of those people. Her experience with CML did not prevent her from contributing to her community. Instead, it became part of what motivated her to support others facing similar challenges.
“When people ask me what CML has given me, my answer is always the same: it gave me purpose.”
The person who once struggled to share her own diagnosis has become someone patients and caregivers can turn to for understanding, encouragement and connection.
Her story is a reminder that meaningful support can take many forms. Sometimes it means helping someone find practical assistance. Sometimes it means listening without judgment. Sometimes it means bringing a little joy into a hospital ward. And sometimes, it simply means being there.
This World Humanitarian Day, The Max Foundation celebrates Rushmie and community advocates like her who show that care can extend far beyond medicine.
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
Understanding and recognizing the inequities in cancer care around the globe underpins the 2022-24 World Cancer Day theme to Close the Care Gap. The needs are urgent, and the opportunity exists to make progress toward equitable cancer care for all. We must listen to the perspectives of people living with cancer and let those lived….
Nothing is more powerful than storytelling, especially when it’s told from a person’s first-hand experience.
In the Asia Pacific region, we are often known as “shy” community. We do not often share our stories publicly, especially a story about cancer diagnosis. We often have no one to turn to because we do not want our parents to worry; we do not want our children to feel the burden; we do not want to tell our neighbors who might be starting to avoid us because we are diagnosed with cancer.
Living with cancer can be overwhelming, to say the least. People with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) have to take daily medication, travel to clinics, and carefully monitor their symptoms, on top of working and caring for their families. This has been Kiran’s reality for around 15 years – he was diagnosed with CML when….
