Every family in Indirapuram is willing to pitch in for the treatment of Dorris Francis, now nearing her sixties. She had long been a familiar face to commuters on NH 24, near Aitbaar Bazaar and Pushta intersection, just a few hundred metres from the Delhi-Ghaziabad border. Every day, she could be seen managing traffic in the mornings, from 7 am-10 am.
She is now battling cancer.
Francis's life took a tragic turn seven years ago, when she lost her 17-year-old daughter, Nikki, to a speeding car, at the very spot she now manages traffic. It had crashed into the auto in which the two were travelling. She was returning home after showing Nikki at a Delhi hospital.
A few months after her daughter passed away, Francis began her journey of self-healing. She started to control traffic at the intersection every morning. Her only wish: Nobody else should meet the same fate as Nikki.
However, her life veered out of control again after eight years. She started to complain of severe stomach pain, and was eventually diagnosed with cancer. Her local doctor in Khoda Colony immediately asked her to get admitted to a better hospital. She approached AIIMS, where she is currently undergoing treatment. The cancer has spread to other parts of her body.
As Francis battles it out in hospital, the family sinks deeper and deeper into financial despair. Their son drives an auto, but it's barely enough to sustain the family. Her husband, Victor, confirms that the treatment is costing Rs 3,000 every day. He says, "My daughter has had to sell her two-wheeler, and we are on the verge of mortgaging our house."
When City Spidey spoke to Francis over phone, all she was able to mutter was: "I did whatever I could. Now I am in God's hands."
Meanwhile, residents and resident bodies of Indirapuram have started collecting money to make whatever contribution they can to the family. Alok Kumar, patron of FedAOA, told City Spidey that the federation has urged all societies to come forward and donate. "We will soon hand over a cheque to them," he added.
Other residents, too, have expressed their willingness to make individual contributions.
If any of you would like to donate to Dorris Francis, here are the online transfer details:
Name: Dauris Fransis (this is her registered name at the bank)
Bank: Punjab National Bank
Account No: 4052000100159946
IFSC Code: PUNB0405200
Branch: Indirapuram
Dorris Francis on her hospital bed in AIIMS
