Battle over, but scars remain

CHENNAI: Some of these youngsters aren’t old enough to go to college. And yet, a majority of them have experienced a trauma that most people hope to escape in their old age.  Says one cancer survivor, Prasad*, “I didn’t know for a long time that I had cancer, and when I found out, I was really scared.”Thankfully for some of these kids, the battle is over, but “the scars remain,” says Dr Vijaya Bharathi Rangarajan, Founder of CAN-STOP. Observing International Childhood  Cancer Day, February 15, CAN-STOP is organising for the first time, CAN-SWAP, a Cancer Survivors Workshop for Adolescent Paediatrics. Cancer survivors in the age group of 13 - 25 years along with their parents, doctors, social workers, psychologists and nurses who are involved in the cancer care have also been invited. Dr Rangarajan states, “We’ve been conducting workshops to raise cancer awareness for the last 15 years, but this is a first of its kind for ‘cancer survivors’.”Fifteen-year-old Adith* has put his days in the hospital well behind him and is presently studying hard for his Class 10 board exams. He proudly says, “When I grow up, I want to be a police officer!” He is one of the lucky ones who was never told that he had cancer in the first place. But his parents will never forget the anxiety of that time, and to make matters worse, are still reeling from the costs of his treatment. “We used to spend `10 lakh every year,” recalls his father Raman*. “It was a very difficult time for us.” It is for this reason that many families who come for treatment do not do a follow-up check, states Dr Rangarajan. She emphasises, “Although the cancer survival rate in children is higher than in adults, many relapse into the disease because they simply do not go back for treatment.”Beyond the financial challenges, Dr Rangarajan states, “We might be on par with the best that medicine can offer in oncology in India, but when it comes to the mental counselling of the patient and the parents or caretakers, we have a long way to go.” She adds, “And that is why we decided to have this workshop.” Dr V Pushpa, a senior consultant Haemotologist will deliver the key note address. An eminent oncologist, endocrinologist and psychologist will deliver the talk and give tips to enhance a healthy adulthood followed by a panel discussion. Career counselling and guidance along with yoga therapy has also been arranged for the parents. Simultaneously, life skills workshop and art therapy is organised for the children. Survivors will also perform during the inauguration.(CAN-SWAP will be held today at Hotel Radha Regent, Arumbakkam, 8.30am-4pm. Registration is free. For details, contact 26284256 or 9840752639) A cancer survivor’s taleI, Sudhaker, was in the sixth standard when I got a nosebleed. And then, it started to happen more often. It was two months before my annual exam and my parents took me to the hospital. As a 11-year-old, I really didn’t understand what was happening or why it became a habit to go there everyday. In time, the nurses and doctors who treated me at the Children’s hospital started to become good friends. But whenever I would ask them what was wrong with me, they would always smile and say, ‘Nothing is wrong. You are perfect.’Later that year, I missed my annual exam and was told that I had to repeat the class. Still I didn’t know. Life would continue normally otherwise and the only thing my parents insisted on was that I didn’t play sports. This, I didn’t mind because I had always been more engrossed in my books. Six months later, I was transferred to a ‘special’ doctor, an oncologist. It was only in high school that I was told that I had blood cancer.It’s been six years since I overcame the disease, and I am 17 years old now. Still, I sometimes get worried. Last year, I had typhoid and after that dengue. Every time I get sick, I need to go to the hospital for a check up, just to make sure there is no relapse. And when I get to the hospital, I see little kids in the cancer ward. We laugh, they talk to me about cricket and school, then all of a sudden, one of them starts to choke or has to be rushed into an emergency room. Two days later, they are gone.Looking back, I realise what I had was terrifying. But I am proud of who I am, because of it. What I’ve learned is that a lot of children and parents who encounter cancer lose the battle very early, because they lose heart. While I feel lucky to be one among those few who survived, I’ve found that it is my destiny and calling to tell them to be strong and believe that they will come through.