The Hindu Business Line : Changing cancer misconceptions

IF you are a filmgoer, you must know how scary cancer is. Because, you are fed up with reams and reams of film rolls, doctors pausing for a while and taking great pains to tell the hero that he is struck with the "dreadful" cancer. Scary background music adds drama, giving the hero and audience a frightening picture of the disease.

But according to 32-year-old Shravanti, filmi cancer is trash. "It is not that dreadful," she said. She knew it well because she has just fought cancer and, more importantly, survived.

Shravanti, along with fellow survivors, has started `Freedom From Cancer Club' to spread the word - that one can fight cancer and survive.

The club, which has 200 members now , is planning to organise awareness camps to instil confidence among cancer patients and their kin.

Addressing some cancer patients, Shravanti said she was diagnosed for cancer in June 2001. "My family was shocked at the news as my husband was to leave for the US to take up his MS degree. But we soon learnt that it can be treated. I told my husband to carry on with his studies and continued to take treatment. Now, I'm free of the disease," a confident Shravanti said.

She appealed to the film makers get a lesson or two from oncologists before showing the disease in a poor light.

Sachin, a 14-year-old boy from the city, said he could ward off the cancer after some bouts of chemo and radio therapies. "Now I'm doing well and playing and studying like any of my classmate," he said.

Dr Vijay Anand Reddy, Director of Apollo Cancer Hospital, said there were misconceptions that cancer was not curable and that cancer patients could never go back to work.

Balakrishna, 76, said will power held the key. "Don't let pessimists come anywhere near you. What they say is rubbish. One can lead a normal life after fighting the disease," he said.

More Stories on : Health | Andhra Pradesh

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