Let's turn pink together

The dreadful experience one has to face with the big C is beyond imagination. And when it comes to women, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer. Being Breast Cancer Awareness month, October is bringing forward a wave of cognizance like never before among Chennaiites. From rallies and marathons to celeb endorsements and fundraising events, Chennai is going all out to ensure that they fight back. As we celebrate Pinktober 2017, volunteers and celebrities associated with the cause talk to us about their initiatives.

It’s a known fact that early detection of breast cancer goes a long way in preventing complications. By spreading the message on the importance of regular screenings and early diagnosis, we can bring down the mortality rate. Anandkumar, the founder of India Turns Pink — a non-profit organisation dedicated to creating breast cancer awareness, says, “Our aim is to be the catalyst of change for the society’s view on breast cancer, advocate early cancer detection and inspire institutions, individuals, organisations and the community at large to extend their support for this noble cause. Our target group is college students. We are planning to go to various universities across the state and teach them how to do breast self-exam (BSE).”

As part of the awareness programmes, India Turns Pink launched Pinktober 2017 at the Chennai airport. “We have collaborated with the Airport Authority of India and Kalyanmayee and are organising various events in the international and domestic airport during the month of October.”

Director Lakshmy Ramakrishnan has been actively involved in awareness campaigns for breast cancer. “I am more concerned about the increase in the number of cases. Though we say awareness is very important, the increase in the number of women detected with breast cancer is more alarming. And why is this happening? It’s because of our sedentary lifestyle — it is high time we change it. Right from the usage of mobile phones to using detergents that contain toxic chemicals and consuming veggies and fruits that are highly fertilised, women are highly subjected to toxic waste. Unless we address the root cause, I don’t think any amount of awareness is going to help. At a superficial level, yes, women will go to doctors for screening, more of a turnover will be there in the hospitals, more machines and medicines will come, and of course, more side effects will follow.”

Actor Ragini Dwivedi was part of the Pinktober 2017 awareness programmes held in Chennai. She says that any disease detected in the early stages is always good. “I am really happy to be associated with the campaigns and awareness on breast cancer. People paying attention towards their health is very less. Many think that they’ll get ill when they hit a certain age. That’s a wrong notion.”

The Nimirndhu Nil actress feels that there should be more awareness among the women living in rural areas. “More local newspapers and local channels should spread the word. We are planning to visit local cities and villages and spread awareness on breast cancer.”

Anandkumar adds that among the other type of cancers in women, 27.3 per cent is breast cancer. “At least one in every eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer, and hence early detection is the only way to increase the long-term survival rates and treatment for permanent cure. Also, we lack good, experienced oncologists. In our country, the doctor-patient ratio is 5000:1 and it is really alarming. We are also in a dearth of speciality diagnosis centres and hospitals compared to other countries. That’s the main reason for the death rate increasing up to 60 percent,” states Anandkumar of India Turns Pink.

The aim of India Turns Pink is to provide free breast cancer screening for at least one lakh women by the end of this year, he adds.

Meanwhile, Lakshmy states that she had witnessed her neighbour succumb to death because of cancer. She reminisces, “The trauma a cancer patient undergoes is unbearable. I was completely devastated watching my neighbour suffering from cancer. Can you imagine what would be the patient’s condition? It’s also distressing for people, who are taking care of them. We better wake up rather than bringing in more children into this world!”

Ragini stresses on the importance of doing a health check-up when a girl hits 20. “Why wait till 30? Cancer has nothing to do with age and a general check up will not do any harm to women! So, my advice is that every woman should do a full-body check up at an early age. Don’t wait for your husband or dad to return back from office or finish their chores and then accompany you to the doctor. Be your own master and start taking care of your body and health,” she urges young women.

Recently, Vijaya Group of Hospitals in the city organised a marathon ‘Grab the Crab’ — an awareness run for breast cancer. The five-kilometer marathon witnessed hundreds of enthusiastic participants running for the cause.
On this occasion, B. Bharathi Reddy, CEO of Vijaya Group of Hospitals, said, “In India, we are now witnessing more numbers of patients being diagnosed with breast cancer to be in the younger age groups. Healthcare is low on priority and even in major cities, screening is also an ‘alien’ word. To create awareness, we organised the run. As a mother, a daughter and a wife, a woman is the caretaker of a family and they should make sure to take utmost care of themselves.”