To celebrate those who had found the ‘can’ in cancer, Pink Hope cancer patient support group and Healthcare Global Enterprises (HCG) Oncology launched the third edition of Self V survivor stories contest on Thursday.
The initiative encourages survivors to talk about their fight against cancer so that others who have been diagnosed can draw inspiration and strength from their stories. These stories are in the form of one-minute videos which participants have to upload on the Self V website or Facebook page.
A participant in the previous edition of Self V stories, Ruchi Dilbagi said, “People think that once you are diagnosed with cancer, your life is over. But as a single mother, I continued to work even during my treatment for four years. I married another cancer survivor and I am cured and happy now.”
Talking about the impact of the Self V stories, she recollected, “I was in a mall one day when a woman walked up to me and said that she had seen my video. Her sister had been diagnosed with cancer and my story helped her believe that she could live through it.”
Stigma
Dr Ajaikumar, CEO of HCG explained, “In India, there is a lot of stigma around cancer so people sometimes avoid treatment to hide it. Also, there is a notion that it is incurable. The video stories will help survivors break out of the stigma and others can see that it is possible to live a normal life after cancer.”
Besides the video stories, the Pink Hope support group provides a forum for cancer patients to interact with survivors and take advice on treatments, coping with the stress and to help family members.
At 72, Uma Pai is still ‘living it up’. Her youngest son was only 10 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
A single mother with three children, she said, “There was no way I could take a break and nurse myself back to health because I had to provide for my children,” she said.
An entrepreneur, one of the first women in the real estate business, Pai had already been toughened up on the job and this helped her face cancer with courage.
The contest will run till the end of November and the winning stories will be awarded by an independent jury.