Cuddles Foundation is one of the few NGOs in India that provides holistic nutritional support to impoverished children so that they can survive the trauma of cancer. In an interview founder-member Purnota Dutta Bahl stresses the need to fight malnutrition to save lives.
How important is nutrition in the fight against childhood cancer?
50,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year in India. Only 22% of these even make it to the hospital for treatment.
4 out of 10 children…
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Three spinal tumour surgeries could not stop Deepa Malik from being the first ever paraplegic Indian biker, swimmer, car rallyist, entrepreneur who doubles up as a very successful motivational speaker as well. Read this amazing woman's journey: “The common perception might be that she is like a man in a man’s world. But I think I am a perfect woman who has learnt beautifully the task of multitasking. I am a wonderful wife, a wonderful mother, a home maker, I keep a…
"Early stage diagnosis and Screening affect survival rates in top 3 cancers" Preet K. Dhillon, PhD, MPH, Epidemiologist, Senior Scientific Officer, Public Health Foundation of India in her interview with PatientsEngage Which cancers are easy to detect at an early stage ? What is their contribution to the total number of cancer malignancies? At what rate is this growing? Of the most commonly occurring cancers in India, breast, cervix, oral and colorectal cancers are amenable…
While the global cancer statistics are deadly and chilling, it is easy to forget that the thousands of people around the world, who have not only 'survived' but actually become 'cancer-thrivers'. These rare folks have turned a traumatic experience into a springboard for their personal growth. Their stories are not only remarkable, but also remarkably similar, as Vijay Bhat (a Mumbai-based thriver and author of "My Cancer Is Me") shares in this video. Vijay's insights are based on his own…
Head and neck cancer specialist Dr. Vishal Rao has recently invented the Aum Voice Prosthesis is to help throat cancer patients speak and eat properly after surgery. The device, especially pioneered for the poor, costs only INR 50 (<1 USD). An interview with Dr. Vishal Rao: Tell us about your brain child – Aum? The realization of not being able to speak, first dawned on me, when I had a throat cancer patient from a village visit my clinic. He had already been …
With a palliative care policy formulated in 2008, Kerala has become a path-breaker and a model for the rest of the country. Professor Devi Vijay of IIM Calcutta provides some insights into this community-based aspect of health care. 1. What can the rest of the country learn from the success of the Kerala palliative care story?How can other countries and communities leverage this community-based model? There are several elements of the Kerala palliative care movement worth examining…
Maya Ramachandran shares her experience as a caregiver to her parents and the learnings she drew from this. Caregiving is soul-satisfying, meaningful, draining and frustrating all at the same time. I had been a caregiver for my father for almost 16 years. My mother took charge from the forefront and I was with her, supporting her to the best of my ability through this period. However, for the last two years of my father’s life, I took on the role of ‘primary caregiver’, as my mother…
A poem by Rita Banik, Founder, RACE to rein-in-cancer The never uttered word CANCER The word that fills our heart with grief Turns our feet cold with fear The word that haunts and shatters … How long shall we go on fearing? How long shall we keep running away? The more we run, the faster it chases The faster you erase the quicker it re-appears! Now cancer invokes anger in me The anger that returns Every time someone is diagnosed Every time cancer takes a life…
Food and Nutrition Cancer and cancer treatments can be harsh on the body. Lack of appetite, weight loss and muscle wasting are common during cancer and treatment. Healthy food choices that are high in calories and proteins can boost cell growth, weight gain and improve recovery. Here are some tips for good nutrition that can be followed while treatment is ongoing: Eat small and frequent snacks Eat every few hours Include lots of leafy greens and vegetables in the diet (but make sure they…
The options depend on the type of cancer, how far it has spread, age, lifestyle and the health status of the patient. There is no single treatment for cancer and doctors often combine different types of treatment. Surgery - Surgery is the oldest known method of treating cancer. Surgery is quite effective if the cancer has not spread or metastasised. Surgery is often combined with other forms of therapy, like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy is generally used when the…
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