An awareness campaign in Lucknow brought attention to the social stigma that young cancer survivors experience, showing that dispelling myths and prejudices about society can be just as difficult as fighting the illness. Organized by CanKids-KidsCan, DigiSwastha, and Apollo Hospitals, the event took place on Sunday with the goal of debunking harmful beliefs about childhood cancer and increasing public awareness of the disease.
During the session, Sugandha Kumari, who was afflicted with stomach cancer at the age of eleven, recounted her personal story. Sugandha described the discrimination and social exclusion she experienced after undergoing cancer treatment and losing her hair and eyebrows. She disclosed that her contemporaries shunned her due to baseless worries that she could spread the illness. Sugandha’s narrative highlights the stigma attached to pediatric cancer, which frequently causes survivors to feel alone and rejected.
Prominent individuals such as KGMU Vice Chancellor Prof. Sonia Nityanand, CMS Dr. BK Ojha, Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Ranjan Kumar, and Municipal Commissioner Indrajeet Singh attended the awareness session, called Sankalp. The organizers made a point of addressing and dispelling the myths around cancer in children. They understood that raising public awareness would help create a more encouraging atmosphere for those who have survived.
The chief of pediatric oncology and haematology at Apollo Hospitals, Dr. Archana Kumar, emphasized the two-fold struggle that children with cancer must overcome: the medical war and the battle against ignorance. She emphasized that although medical care can be controlled, eradicating social ignorance calls for a great deal of awareness and work. Dr. Kumar agreed that there has been progress, citing success stories to show that worthwhile projects can result in constructive change.
The future depends on the well-being of youngsters, and AP Maheshwari, advisor at DigiSwastha and former IPS officer, underlined the significance of societal efforts. His comments emphasized the need for society to encourage and assist kids who are undergoing cancer.
The CEO of Apollo Medics, Dr. Mayank Somani, MD, emphasized the importance of raising awareness and urged individuals who are lucky enough to avoid such difficulties to make meaningful contributions to society. To further include the community and raise awareness, the event featured a street play and a cyclothon.
All things considered, the program advocated for increased societal understanding and support by shedding emphasis on the substantial challenges that children cancer survivors confront outside of their medical condition.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
