In an attempt to light up this Diwali for children suffering from cancer, and their families,
'Can Kids' Kids Can' infused in them a healthy dose of optimism and cheer'
“I would like to share with you a painful and unforgettable moment of my life. February 14, 2009, is an unforgettable day in my life. I was studying in 8th standard. After the classes, as usual, I was playing. Suddenly, I could not breathe. I was literally panting and gasping. When my parents took me to Dr Naik, our family doctor, he advised me to go for an X-ray. I was admitted at KMC Hospital at Manipal. My lungs were filled with fluid. When the doctors examined me they told me a bitter truth, I had cancer, medically called rhabdomyosarcoma. I literally collapsed with the shock. My parents and near ones thought that it was the end of my life.” The audience – little boys and girls in caps and scarves, their mothers and fathers, volunteers of the NGO CanKids...KidsCan and students of Delhi Public School (DPS), Gurgaon – empathetically listened to Varalakshmi Shetty. “I experienced a lot of pain during my chemotherapy,” Varalakshmi continued. “When I began losing my beautiful hair, I could not accept the fact. Yet I continued the treatment. Now, I’m happy to say that my hair has begun to grow. Being a cancer patient I would like to say that whoever is identified as a cancer patient, please do not lose hope. I request you to not lose confidence. If one has confidence, one can win over any hardship, any sickness or any cancer. To this, I am a witness standing before you. I have resumed my studies; I’m happy to say I stand first in class.” The audience clapped on hearing of her achievement.
Varalakshmi was among the ten children who were awarded under CanKids…KidsCan 3rd National Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program, and honoured for their bravery and courage. Despite missing school for most of the year, a 9th standard student, Varalakshmi still scored 93 per cent. Another child, an eight-year-old girl (name withheld on request of parents) danced to the beat of Aap ka kya Hoga… (Dhanno) with unmatchable zest and exuberance, and if I had not known that this was a Diwali Utsav for cancer children, I could never have guessed that this child had been battling cancer for the last two years. She is almost cured now, her mother informed me. For the 800 odd people who assembled on 30th October at DPS, children like these were shining examples of how there is life after cancer. There were more reasons for children from Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other cancer centres in Delhi to beam from ear to ear, what with many of them performing the Ramlila on stage, and then waiting to receive presents that they had wished for. “Normally, during the course of the year they do get a lot of stuff, but it’s often we who decide what to give to the children. This time we asked the children to make Wish Cards and then pray to Lord Ganesh,” said Poonam Bagai, President of CanKids…KidsCan. “We’ve got this little story too. Our mascots are Taklu and Takli, where Taklu is the little cancer boy and Takli is the little cancer girl; we’re trying to destigmatise hair loss. So Taklu and Takli go to Ganesh and ask for a pet and the Lord gives them Kekdu the crab. The children ask why Kekdu, and Ganesh says Kekdu is a symbol of your cancer, but as you get over your fear of the disease, so you will learn to have a victory over your disease. And that’s really the genesis of this Wish Card,” smiled Poonam.
Why such an initiative is especially commendable, is because hundreds of children suffering from cancer and their families witnessed before their eyes that cancer is beatable. When cancer is diagnosed, people usually believe that it is the end of the road for them, but that is not the case, especially when the patient is a child. “Childhood cancer is curable if treated properly and diagnosed on time. More than 70 per cent of cases can be treated successfully and cured,” shared Dr Gauri Kapoor, Head, Department of Paediatric Haematology/ Oncology & BMT at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Delhi. “Children have a lot of energy and they handle treatment much better than adults. God made their body in such a way that children have the best physical condition and they can tolerate the treatment very easily. Also, their bodies don’t already have heart disease, hypertension and other problems that come with age. All their organs are healthy. Cancer in children is highly curable,” asserts Dr Kapoor.
When a Varalakshmi or a Nisha Kukreja (17-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer when she was all of five; successfully battled cancer and has been pursuing her academics, and recently completed a course in Punjabi language and is also skilled in Hindi calligraphy) came up on stage, the parents present were shown a life after cancer for their children too. Manpreet Brar was present at the Diwali Utsav and reiterated the parents’ role in the child’s healing. “Parents, you are the reason why your children will survive cancer,” she said addressing the audience. “Through parents children get the strength. When the children see hope in their parent’s eyes, they too will believe that they can fight cancer and that they’re going to survive.” Optimism is what the doctor also prescribes for parents. “It is very essential to target the parents for counselling and keep them motivated. Their attitude is extremely important because the children don’t know anything other than their parents. If the parent is sad and crying, the child will also be sad and will cry. If the parent is happy, cheerful, looking forward positively, the child forgets that he has a disease. Positive attitude plays a very strong role in successfully overcoming cancer. A positive attitude has been scientifically proven to help overcome physical and medical conditions,” said Dr Kapoor. There are countless cases of cancer patients surviving and leading fulfilling lives even after the doctors gave up, just by staying positive and believing that they will live, and they will fight this disease. I wasn’t surprised when the mother of the 8-year-old girl, who had earlier danced to Dhanno, told me the secret of her daughter’s confidence, “Her father keeps her confidence high, he’s been very positive throughout, and that has helped them a lot.”
A huge drawback for the patients is that “only one in 10 children have access to proper cancer treatment in India,” informed Dr Kapoor. “There is a lack of capability in diagnosing and treating children with cancer. In the remote areas there is not enough awareness, even among the general practitioners in small towns and villages, there isn’t awareness that cancer is curable. They feel that as it is cancer, there is no point in treating the child further. There is a great deal of need to increase awareness even among doctors, as Oncology is a field which has come up only in the last few years in India,” said Dr Kapoor.
“The event today aims to deliver a message to all the children that you do get better, you can survive, and you will still do well and you can still achieve,” said Poonam Bagai. As the award-ceremony came to a close, the children danced to the song, All is well. Hopefully, both parents and children left the Diwali Utsav completely convinced of the lyrics.
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“I would like to share with you a painful and unforgettable moment of my life. February 14, 2009, is an unforgettable day in my life. I was studying in 8th standard. After the classes, as usual, I was playing. Suddenly, I could not breathe. I was literally panting and gasping. When my parents took me to Dr Naik, our family doctor, he advised me to go for an X-ray. I was admitted at KMC Hospital at Manipal. My lungs were filled with fluid. When the doctors examined me they told me a bitter truth, I had cancer, medically called rhabdomyosarcoma. I literally collapsed with the shock. My parents and near ones thought that it was the end of my life.” The audience – little boys and girls in caps and scarves, their mothers and fathers, volunteers of the NGO CanKids...KidsCan and students of Delhi Public School (DPS), Gurgaon – empathetically listened to Varalakshmi Shetty. “I experienced a lot of pain during my chemotherapy,” Varalakshmi continued. “When I began losing my beautiful hair, I could not accept the fact. Yet I continued the treatment. Now, I’m happy to say that my hair has begun to grow. Being a cancer patient I would like to say that whoever is identified as a cancer patient, please do not lose hope. I request you to not lose confidence. If one has confidence, one can win over any hardship, any sickness or any cancer. To this, I am a witness standing before you. I have resumed my studies; I’m happy to say I stand first in class.” The audience clapped on hearing of her achievement.
Varalakshmi was among the ten children who were awarded under CanKids…KidsCan 3rd National Childhood Cancer Scholarship Program, and honoured for their bravery and courage. Despite missing school for most of the year, a 9th standard student, Varalakshmi still scored 93 per cent. Another child, an eight-year-old girl (name withheld on request of parents) danced to the beat of Aap ka kya Hoga… (Dhanno) with unmatchable zest and exuberance, and if I had not known that this was a Diwali Utsav for cancer children, I could never have guessed that this child had been battling cancer for the last two years. She is almost cured now, her mother informed me. For the 800 odd people who assembled on 30th October at DPS, children like these were shining examples of how there is life after cancer. There were more reasons for children from Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and other cancer centres in Delhi to beam from ear to ear, what with many of them performing the Ramlila on stage, and then waiting to receive presents that they had wished for. “Normally, during the course of the year they do get a lot of stuff, but it’s often we who decide what to give to the children. This time we asked the children to make Wish Cards and then pray to Lord Ganesh,” said Poonam Bagai, President of CanKids…KidsCan. “We’ve got this little story too. Our mascots are Taklu and Takli, where Taklu is the little cancer boy and Takli is the little cancer girl; we’re trying to destigmatise hair loss. So Taklu and Takli go to Ganesh and ask for a pet and the Lord gives them Kekdu the crab. The children ask why Kekdu, and Ganesh says Kekdu is a symbol of your cancer, but as you get over your fear of the disease, so you will learn to have a victory over your disease. And that’s really the genesis of this Wish Card,” smiled Poonam.
Why such an initiative is especially commendable, is because hundreds of children suffering from cancer and their families witnessed before their eyes that cancer is beatable. When cancer is diagnosed, people usually believe that it is the end of the road for them, but that is not the case, especially when the patient is a child. “Childhood cancer is curable if treated properly and diagnosed on time. More than 70 per cent of cases can be treated successfully and cured,” shared Dr Gauri Kapoor, Head, Department of Paediatric Haematology/ Oncology & BMT at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre, Delhi. “Children have a lot of energy and they handle treatment much better than adults. God made their body in such a way that children have the best physical condition and they can tolerate the treatment very easily. Also, their bodies don’t already have heart disease, hypertension and other problems that come with age. All their organs are healthy. Cancer in children is highly curable,” asserts Dr Kapoor.
When a Varalakshmi or a Nisha Kukreja (17-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer when she was all of five; successfully battled cancer and has been pursuing her academics, and recently completed a course in Punjabi language and is also skilled in Hindi calligraphy) came up on stage, the parents present were shown a life after cancer for their children too. Manpreet Brar was present at the Diwali Utsav and reiterated the parents’ role in the child’s healing. “Parents, you are the reason why your children will survive cancer,” she said addressing the audience. “Through parents children get the strength. When the children see hope in their parent’s eyes, they too will believe that they can fight cancer and that they’re going to survive.” Optimism is what the doctor also prescribes for parents. “It is very essential to target the parents for counselling and keep them motivated. Their attitude is extremely important because the children don’t know anything other than their parents. If the parent is sad and crying, the child will also be sad and will cry. If the parent is happy, cheerful, looking forward positively, the child forgets that he has a disease. Positive attitude plays a very strong role in successfully overcoming cancer. A positive attitude has been scientifically proven to help overcome physical and medical conditions,” said Dr Kapoor. There are countless cases of cancer patients surviving and leading fulfilling lives even after the doctors gave up, just by staying positive and believing that they will live, and they will fight this disease. I wasn’t surprised when the mother of the 8-year-old girl, who had earlier danced to Dhanno, told me the secret of her daughter’s confidence, “Her father keeps her confidence high, he’s been very positive throughout, and that has helped them a lot.”
A huge drawback for the patients is that “only one in 10 children have access to proper cancer treatment in India,” informed Dr Kapoor. “There is a lack of capability in diagnosing and treating children with cancer. In the remote areas there is not enough awareness, even among the general practitioners in small towns and villages, there isn’t awareness that cancer is curable. They feel that as it is cancer, there is no point in treating the child further. There is a great deal of need to increase awareness even among doctors, as Oncology is a field which has come up only in the last few years in India,” said Dr Kapoor.
“The event today aims to deliver a message to all the children that you do get better, you can survive, and you will still do well and you can still achieve,” said Poonam Bagai. As the award-ceremony came to a close, the children danced to the song, All is well. Hopefully, both parents and children left the Diwali Utsav completely convinced of the lyrics.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
GIDF Club of IIPM Lucknow Organizes Blood Donation CampDelhi University Students' Union (DUSU): Students' Unions can not be banned
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
Best Colleges for Vocational Courses in India
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