Kerala: Take that, cancer!

KOCHI: Walking into the hall where World Cancer Day observance was held in Gandhinagar on Saturday, you would hardly believe it had anything to do with a disease. As a packed hall grooved to the rhythm of ‘Why this kolaveri di’, many a chair was transformed into drums as tiny tots got down the aisle to shake a leg or two, and deafening claps could be heard across the street.“Everyone here is a fighter,” said Sarah (name changed), speaking at the event. Sarah fought cancer from the age 11. After struggling with a disease for more than a decade, today she is a doctor at the casualty wing at Kolenchery Medical College. “I remember finishing my chemo and getting up at 5 in the morning so that I could reach PC Thomas’s MBBS coaching classes on time. But this is just one story. Everyone here is a fighter,” she said to resounding applause.The event was supposed to be a meeting point of cancer patients and survivors. Many came forward to share their experiences, their success in fighting the disease, about accepting the trauma with courage and the need to support other cancer patients. Some had dedicated their lives in the service of other cancer patients once they themselves were diagnosed with it. Twelve-year-old Nithya (name changed) is doing just that. “It was after my fourth standard annual exams. My blood count was found to be low,” says Nithya matter-of-factly. She was here on Saturday to give a Bharatanatyam performance.Nithya’s grandmother said, “She has never said no to any treatment, was always strong, even when we were weak.”The event, inaugurated by activist M K Sanu, also saw the launch of a website for cancer patients. It was jointly organised by the Cochin Cancer Society, IMA - Kochi chapter and Vytilla Welcare Hospital.