Awareness Today, A Cure Tomorrow
“Ma’am, is there anyone with you?” the radiologist asked. This marked the beginning of my stage IV metastatic breast cancer journey. I stood outside the ultrasound department, shocked, frozen, and clueless. How could I have not seen or felt this underlying demon? As a cancer patient, one of the key messages on World Cancer Day…
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Bridging the Divide: A Call to Close the Care Gap
Ramu (name changed), a 42-year-old farmer from rural part of North Karnataka, was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. The nearest specialized cancer treatment centre was 600 kilometres away and took 11 hours to reach. Ramu is unable to speak and is in extreme pain. He and his wife have travelled to Bengaluru, hoping for…
Read MoreCervical Cancer Awareness
“ Learn. Prevent. Screen.” Did you know that we here in India have the highest number of cervical cancer cases in the world? Age is just a number, as they say. Cancer can affect people of any age group. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the world and the most common type…
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Empowering Tomorrow
” We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future “ As I was growing up, my parents were constantly searching for ways to effectively channelize my boundless energy and passion, ensuring that I could make a meaningful impact on society. During this process, I learned…
Read MoreWe Rise By Lifting Others
“Don’t ever question the value of volunteers. Noah’s Ark was built by volunteers, the Titanic was built by professionals.”-Dave GlynnMr. Ram was 17 years old and far away from home in boarding school when he lost his father to a chronic illness. He was aware that his father was unwell but was not informed by…
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From Silence to Strength: Relooking Men’s Mental Health in Bereavement
Preface Mr. Ram was 17 years old and far away from home in boarding school when he lost his father to a chronic illness. He was aware that his father was unwell but was not informed by his family about the rapidly declining condition. Ram was not informed about his father’s death for almost two…
Read MoreHealing Through Animals- Animal assisted Therapy
Animals have coexisted with us in harmony for thousands of years and have even been revered as protectors and deities in several ancient civilizations. The first documented instance of healing through animals was noted by Florence Nightingale in her book ‘Notes on Nursing’ in the 1800s, where she mentioned small animals assisting in recovery. In…
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Celebrating the International Day of the Older Person – Intergenerational Solidarity and Why it matters in India?
As I sit down to write this blog, I cannot help but think of my parents and the myriad number of uncles and aunts that I am privileged to have in my life. Their countless stories, compelling experiences, and collective wisdom have shaped me and influenced my worldview. As a child, I have watched them…
Read MoreIt’s Never Too Early, It’s Never Too Late
It’s the 21st of September 1994, in Edinburgh, when Alzheimer’s International-an organisation dedicated for research and spreading of awareness for Alzheimer’s disease, celebrated the 1st “World Alzheimer’s’ Day”. The day and the entire month of September is utilised to enhance our knowledge, in one of the most common causes of dementia in elderly-Alzheimer’s’ disease. It…
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Distress, the 6th Vital Sign of Cancer
Preface Cancer burden continues to grow day by day worldwide, with an increased number of newly diagnosed cases and deaths each year. A significant proportion of such individuals at any stage of the disease trajectory suffer social, emotional, and psychological distress due to stigma related to cancer, diagnosis and treatment side-effects, survivorship issues etc. Therefore,…
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