They were testimonies of courage from essentially survivors of, in many cases, a losing battle. And they symbolised hope and the will to prevail as much as the unforgiving pain and the trauma, making them inspiring to listen to.

The gathering of cancer survivors organised by Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology here on Saturday saw many men and women who had battled the disease talking about their experiences and pledging their backing to form a support group.

The event was organised on the eve of the International Cancer Survivor’s Day on June 3 .

Rupa, 36 years old and with a young son, was diagnosed with breast cancer six months ago. She had to undergo surgery, which involved removal of her breasts. She is out of danger and wears prosthesis. “Being diagnosed with cancer is bad enough, but as a woman I can’t describe how it felt when they told me that I would have to get my breasts removed,” she said.

When 77-year-old S A Acharya was diagnosed with Non Hodgins Lymphoma (blood cancer), he was shattered and refused to interact with anyone for the first few months.

“He was depressed and his self-esteem took a severe beating,” his son said while Acharya looked on.
After being prodded by doctors, he opened up and said, “People should not look at cancer as a stigma and keep it a secret.”

Prashanth was just 13 when he was diagnosed with blood cancer. “The odds were against me, but the doctor told me that out of every 100 cancer patients, 40 survived and I was determined to be one of them,” the now-19-year-old said. He works at a pharmacy and is soon going to enroll in an evening college.

Nagaraj is married with a child now, but in 1991 when he was told by doctors that he had acute lymphatic leukemia he never thought he would live to tell the story of his survival.

“There’s was a sense of fear even after I was cured,” he said. He works as an assistant professor in an engineering college. Summing up, Dr Bapsy, Director of Kidwai Institute, said, “We’ll start a support group which would meet once a month. The objective is to instill confidence in those taking treatment for cancer.”
Those who want to join the group may contact Dr Janet Parameshwar on 26094033.