NEW DELHI: Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals observed Annual Brave Hearts Day on March 7, celebrating the courage and strong determination of children to fight cancer. Children who have successfully beaten cancer or are undergoing treatment at Apollo hospitals were present on the occasion along with their parents. Besides, there were doctors, nurses, and support groups working with childhood cancer.
The event saw heartwarming performances by patients, cancer survivors and hospital staff. Children who have gone on to achieve outstanding success in sports and other arenas were felicitated on the occasion. The hospital management also honoured support groups working for childhood cancer like Cankids, HCRA, Pulkit Trust, Make a Wish and Milaap.
Some survivors retold their stories much to the encouragement of patients undergoing treatment. "I went through a lot of pain. My friends were not happy to play with me. My mother was always teary-eyed and papa stressed. But now, I can go to school and play in society park just like before," said an 11-year-old cancer survivor, recalling the hard times.
Another cancer survivor, a class 8 student, took the mike to draw attention and send out a lot of positivity and enthusiasm with his current status of a national level 10 metre Rifle Shooter.
"It is possible to achieve very high success rates in cancer treatment if all stakeholders come together. Every child has the right to receive treatment that gives him the best chance of cure. Today, this is feasible because of the tremendous support from government as well as non-governmental sources. Above all, the positivity, courage and resilience that these young fighters and their families show against all odds inspires us to make it possible for them to receive the best possible treatment despite all constraints," said Dr Amita Mahajan, Senior Consultant, Paediatric Oncology and Hematology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
Cancer is hitting Indian children quite hard — of the total reported cases, nearly five percent are of childhood cancer.