What We Want to Do

There have been a few questions on what we want to do and how can one get involved. I will answer the questions in two parts. This post addresses what we want to do. I will post a rejoinder on where we need your help.

Having undergone this utterly harsh experience, we realized the impact this disease can have over individuals, families and communities. We realized that there is a certain section of the larger community which would be devastated by an incidence of cancer in the family. They might give up the fight against the disease even before starting it because of financial reasons. This might be possible even in cases of excellent prognosis. The financial impact is more pronounced in the case of families that are poor. For them, it is a unmitigated disaster and the very future of everyone in the family is at stake. Children forgo their education, nutrition and the patient loses respect, hope and, in most cases, his life.

Cancer in women has a devastating impact on Indian Rural/ Poor urban families as they are vital financial support as well as the force that keeps the family functional. The void caused by her absence is very difficult to fill, if at all. Lack of awareness, unwillingness towards open discussion and willingness to undergo high degree of pain and discomfort invariably result into a late diagnosis of this disease in women. Thus it results in a poor prognosis, low survival rates and poor life spans in women especially.

This where we plan to step in. We plan intervention at three levels:

a)      Financial Support

·         Financial Support to patients for the treatment of the disease

·         Financial support to wards/ children of the patients towards education and vocational training

b)      Medical Advice and counseling

·         Sponsor travel to designated centers for medical advice

·         Awareness initiatives at health centers and government hospitals to ensure higher degree of knowledge

·         Liaise with the Oncologists and Surgeon community to create a channel to, hitherto inaccessible, superlative medical care

c)      Treatment and On-going Support

·         Access to medicines by tie-ups with Pharma companies (To offer medicines at lower than market rates)

·         Ensuring funds are utilized for treatment by enforcing high level of control over the treatment chain

·         Becoming an exchange of individuals seeking to make a difference and people suffering from the disease

   

Hence, the help that we expect from you would be around these broad objectives. There are various ways in which you can help. More on that in my next post.