Diagnosed with cancer at the tender age of 18 months, survival of Prabhdeep seemed difficult to his father Surjeet Singh after doctors in Jalandhar could offer no further help in treating him.
Surjeet turned emotional as he recalled how his son got a new lease of life after undergoing one year of treatment at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. Prabhdeep is now a 10-year-old healthy boy and dreams of becoming a police officer.
Like Prabhdeep, there are many survivors, who were diagnosed with cancer in their childhood.
As a part of the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the PGIMER organised a childhood cancer survivor meet on Saturday. The Advanced Paediatric Centre (APC) conference room at the PGIMER echoed with laughter and claps of families while the childhood cancer survivors shared their battles of how they overcame the deadly disease.
Aanchal was diagnosed with blood cancer at age three, an illness she survived after a year of treatment and regular hospital visits. Her mother, Prabhdeep Kaur, emotionally recalled the year of sleepless nights during the initial phase, saying she felt cut off from the world for four or five years until her daughter fully recovered.
Kaur also highlighted the social stigma of cancer, noting that people would refuse marriage proposals for Aanchal once they knew she had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (blood cancer). Now 34-years-old, Aanchal is a proud mother to her 4-year-old son, Hirday. This shows that fighting the illness is often complicated by the social stigma that patients also have to overcome.
{{/usCountry}}Kaur also highlighted the social stigma of cancer, noting that people would refuse marriage proposals for Aanchal once they knew she had been diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (blood cancer). Now 34-years-old, Aanchal is a proud mother to her 4-year-old son, Hirday. This shows that fighting the illness is often complicated by the social stigma that patients also have to overcome.
{{/usCountry}}Among survivors also stood the paediatrics junior resident at PGIMER, Dr Vinisha, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma -- a rare but aggressive form of bone cancer -- when she was in Class 8. Despite prolonged hospital treatment and skipping school, Vinisha overcame her illness and chose to become a doctor to serve others.
Dr Amita, head of paediatric haematology and oncology unit highlighted how childhood cancer is a leading cause of disease-related deaths in children. “Every year, the paediatric haematology and oncology unit of PGIMER treat around 450 children with cancer and the survival rate is around 60%. The survival rate in childhood leukemia, the most common malignancy seen in children is around 70%. However, it is still low as compared to developed countries that have a survival rate of 80%. Low survival rates in developing countries like India stem from late diagnosis, limited treatment access, and financial constraints,” she added.