A light-hearted fight against cancer

Noble cause

Have you ever noticed how each and every person sitting in a movie theatre gets irritated by those dreadful anti-smoking advertisements? One barely prefers to watch them, spare the thought of getting influenced and following them.  But had it been shown with pictures which was a little pleasing to the eyes, it might have left a positive impact on the viewers.

This is exactly what Rahul Yadav, a 30 year-old blood cancer patient, aims at doing through his UNESCO awarded NGO Yoddhas. He says, “If awareness about diseases like cancer and its causes is spread in a much lighter way, then it could have a more positive impact on the viewer and can give strength to the survivors too.”

On Saturday, August 8, Yadav organised a campaign to raise awareness about cancer in association with National Cadet Corps (NCC) at the Army Parade Ground that educated youngsters about the disease and helped them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

With Major General S N Yadav as chief guest, the event witnessed a gathering of 2,000 NCC cadre along with army officials to participate in activities to spread cancer awareness. It included various programs and fun activities like plays by the team Yoddhas and a group dance performances.

“Incorporating these dance gigs and skits on cancer was solely to motivate people on a casual note, especially the youth, to avoid bad habits and take preventive measures for fighting cancer,” Yadav tells Metrolife.

While he has been fighting for his life against blood cancer, Yadav feels that as a country, India lacks support groups for cancer patients wherein they can efficiently interact with each other.

“Apart from my major agenda which is all about having indomitable fighting spirit for cancer, I also want to enable patients to effectively have interactions with each other. The moment one finds another person affected with the same illness, one  feels
better,” he adds.

The event also highlighted the case study of a patient who won the battle of cancer and was honoured for the brave fightback. “It was the case study of Dr Gayatri Bhatt,” says Yadav, “who successfully won the battle against cancer. It was a live example for everyone present in the audience, that fighting cancer isn’t a difficult task.”

The campaign concluded with NCC students taking an oath at the parade ground to quit smoking or indulging in any activity which may cause cancer and will work towards a better lifestyle.