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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 25 February 2019
Cricket teams posing at the cricket game to spread childhood cancer

Every year in February, Ugam, the childhood cancer survivors support group at Tata Memorial, observes International Childhood Cancer Day by playing a friendly cricket match with different stakeholders. Here, we trace the journey of Shekhar Jha, who is a passionate cricketer and deeply indebted to the organization.

In 1992 when 6-year-old Shekhar Jha came to Mumbai for treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma to Tata Memorial Centre, little did he know that it was the beginning of a deep lifelong bond with the one of the best hospitals for cancer care.

Though Shekhar returned home to Darbangha, Bihar, after a year-long treatment, he kept coming back every year to the hospital with his parents for an annual check-up. The difference was that now he came no longer as a patient, but a cancer survivor. With passage of time, the little boy grew up to be a confident young man with avid interest in cricket and finance. In school and college, he would represent his cricket team at the state and district level. “I would have loved to pursue cricket full-time, but circumstances did not allow,” he says ruefully. In studies too he was bright, and completed his Master’s degree in Commerce.

Shekhar with his wife above 

My heart tugged for Ugam

In 2010, after completing his M.Com, Shekhar moved to Mumbai. He joined a Chartered Accountant firm. But his heart kept tugging for Ugam, the voluntary Childhood Cancer Survivors Support Group at Tata Memorial Hospital, which he had been visiting since childhood. To his luck, within a year, he got a job with Ugam.

Shekhar plunged wholeheartedly into the activities of Ugam providing emotional and psychological support to cancer survivors and building their confidence, reassuring cancer patients that life returns to normal after treatment, encouraging them to complete their education, and providing financial assistance to parents.

Being a cancer survivor himself, he strongly believes in Ugam’s vision –

  1. To ensure that every childhood cancer survivor finds his/ her way to celebrate life after winning their battle with cancer.
  2. To facilitate their life’s journey on the correct path and in the right direction.
  3. To bring them to the mainstream of society.

Ugam organises/participates in many events on the national and international platforms to spread the message that childhood cure is curable. International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is a global campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and to express support for children, teenagers and young adults with cancer, childhood cancer survivors and their families.

Cricket and childhood cancer awareness 

An activity at Ugam that Shekhar immensely enjoys – is cricket. Every year in February, Ugam celebrates the ICCD by playing a friendly cricket match with different stakeholders. This year too on February 23, a match was held between the Ugam and employees of Tata Trust.

Shekhar, an all-rounder cricketer, known for his right hand batting and spin bowling, had been playing for Ugam all these years. However, for the first time this year, he had to switch sides. This year he was playing for Tata Trust, as since the last 8 months, he has been employed in the accounts department at Tata Trust. His all-time favourite cricketer will always be Sachin Tendulkar, but from the current players he likes Rohit Sharma.

Shekhar practicing with bat

“Cricket is actually a medium for us to spread awareness about childhood cancer and how a child can be made totally cancer free with timely intervention and appropriate treatment,” says 32-year-old Shekhar, who is a strong role model at Ugam.

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