In April 2017, our lives have been upended when my older son Kabir was identified with leukemia. As we grappled with this daunting problem, a easy but deeply significant custom provided us consolation: the ritual of brewing and sharing tea.
This journey, extending past the battle in opposition to a severe sickness, stands as a tribute to the resilience inherent within the human spirit and the power of our cultural traditions. Carrying a reputation that signifies “The Nice One,” Kabir has constantly strived to reside as much as its which means, displaying distinctive bravery since that fateful day in April 2017: Kabir, my energetic four-year-old eagerly anticipating Kindergarten, was immediately confronted with a formidable well being problem.
Upon being identified with a uncommon and high-risk sort of Leukemia, often called Philadelphia Chromosome Constructive (PH+) Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), our household life underwent a profound transformation. The enjoyment and laughter that when crammed our residence have been abruptly changed by the stark and sterile environment of hospital corridors.
The second I discovered of Kabir’s most cancers prognosis is etched in my reminiscence — I recall breaking down in tears, discreetly hidden from Kabir’s sight, as photos from St. Jude commercials, beforehand solely glimpsed on tv, flooded my ideas and thrust me into an unimaginable new actuality. April 20, 2017, marked a big shift, characterised by the relentless beeping of medical machines, subdued conversations with healthcare professionals, and an awesome sense of uncertainty that enveloped us.
Throughout these difficult instances, my mother and father and my husband Mandeep’s mother and father stood as beacons of help, respiration life into an age-old Indian custom of brewing tea for nurturing and luxury.
Each night, they arrived on the hospital with thermoses brimming with selfmade Indian chai and heat meals, reworking the sterile hospital environment into an area resonating with the heat of residence. These tea breaks turned our sanctuary, providing each Mandeep and me a much-needed respite from our exhausting routines and the overwhelming complexities of hospital life.
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Amidst this, we discovered uncommon moments of normalcy, an opportunity to reconnect over tea, contrasting sharply with the each day actuality that always left us feeling like ships passing within the night time.
In our Indian tradition, tea transcends being a mere beverage; it’s a image of hospitality, consolation, and kinship.
For Mandeep and me, every cup of tea turned a ritual of care, a comforting embrace amidst the cruel realities we confronted. This custom of constructing Indian chai, a talent we each discovered at a younger age from our grandparents, turned central to our household’s story and later impressed the creation of Birdsong Tea.
Throughout Kabir’s preliminary remedies at Lucile Packard Youngsters’s Hospital Stanford, our escapes to Palo Alto’s cafes and tea retailers provided cherished respites, the place we celebrated milestones like Mom’s Day and anniversaries, quickly stepping away from the chaos of our lives.
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Our household’s journey with tea prolonged past hospital partitions, bringing solace and pleasure in numerous settings. A memorable journey to Las Vegas, following Kabir’s chemotherapy in 2019 and simply earlier than his first relapse, was marked by a particular tea expertise that uplifted our spirits.
These excursions, alongside tea-themed residence celebrations like Christmas tea events the place we shared our favourite blends, turned greater than mere occasions; they have been poignant affirmations of life, love, and unity amidst adversity.
On the eve of Kabir’s second relapse, after his CAR-T remedy on the Youngsters’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a serene excessive tea hosted by his aunt provided a quick second of peace earlier than one other storm.
Kabir’s journey by means of leukemia — encompassing preliminary remedies, two relapses, and steady challenges — was a journey steeped in hardship. Searching for solace at residence, I immersed myself in making a particular chai mix.
This concoction, wealthy with spices and heat, not solely soothed Kabir — significantly when chemotherapy-induced nausea — but in addition instilled a tranquil environment inside our household.
The mix, infused with ginger and cardamom, turned a supply of consolation on the hardest days, even when Kabir discovered it arduous to eat, offering reduction in each steaming scorching cups and refreshing chilly iced chai lattes. This personally crafted recipe, born out of our household’s experiences and perseverance, ultimately impressed the creation of Birdsong’s Peacock Chai, symbolizing the resilience and unity of our household all through this journey.
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Ayaan, my youthful son, and Kabir’s brother, really lived as much as the which means of his title, “The Reward,” by changing into an precise lifesaver by means of his selfless bone marrow donation.
This act of profound love and heroism performed a vital position in Kabir’s difficult journey. As we confronted the pandemic and the demanding means of the bone marrow transplant, our household skilled a tumult of exhaustion and temporary, but poignant moments of connection. Sharing a heat beverage throughout these instances offered a comforting solace, every sip feeling like a heat embrace.
Ayaan, along with his rising creative skills, added pleasure and vibrancy to Kabir’s hospital room along with his paintings, lightening our darkest days.
Birdsong Tea, rising from our shared resilience and unity throughout Kabir’s brave battle with leukemia, stands as an emblem of his bravery and our unwavering hope.
Excess of only a model, this firm is a private legacy, weaving collectively our household’s journey with the comforting custom of tea, a mirrored image of our Indian heritage and the resilience inherent within the human spirit.
In our residence within the San Francisco Bay Space, the place we reside with our cherished canine, Hachi, a vigorous 5-year-old Keeshond, and Mochi, an lively 1-year-old Boston Terrier, life is vibrant, full of affection, and sometimes accompanied by the wealthy aroma of brewing tea. Every mix from Birdsong Tea encapsulates our values and heritage.
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Our dedication goes past our instant household; by means of our involvement with Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and making a particular mix in reminiscence of youngsters like Alexandra Scott, who tragically misplaced their battles, we actively work to boost consciousness and much-needed funds for pediatric most cancers analysis.
Regardless of the daunting challenges, together with Kabir’s devastating relapse in July 2019, simply two months after ending his remedy, and going through the complexities of a bone marrow transplant at UCSF Benioff Youngsters’s Hospital amid the pandemic, we stay steadfast in our advocacy for elevated pediatric most cancers analysis, an space nonetheless critically underfunded regardless of being the first reason for disease-related loss of life in U.S. kids below 19.
Kabir’s journey by means of leukemia just isn’t solely a story of medical struggles but in addition an inspiring story of hope, resilience, and the enduring power of custom. Birdsong Tea, which emerged from this arduous journey, stands as greater than a mere model; it embodies our household’s deep love, a younger boy’s unimaginable braveness, and the timeless traditions which have been our steadfast help in essentially the most difficult instances.
The evolution of this journey, together with the inception of Birdsong Tea, powerfully underscores that always, the only acts, akin to sharing a cup of tea, can remodel into profound sources of power and therapeutic for us all.
Bhavika Vinayak Taunk is the Co-Founding father of Birdsong Tea and the proud mom to 2 boys.
