Cancer Awareness

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome. - Samuel Johnson

It is often surprising how people go looking for enlightenment, when all they have to do is open their eyes. At the Vasantha Memorial Trust, we often encounter such cases where awareness has come in too late; where patients come to us at the near fatal stage, thanks to ignorance, or wanton negligence. Cases where we have lost patients serve to strengthen our mission of purpose: awareness has to be spread down to every level. The more aware people become, the closer Buddha’s Bodhi tree!

In our battle in the war against cancer, we face the same tone everywhere: “ I can’t ever get cancer. And if I do, I’d rather not know about it, because it will kill me anyway. I don’t want to know if I am going to die.” Initially, we were under the impression that ignorance spurred people to act the way they did. Much to our chagrin, we found the elite evoke the same response. So we decided to start work with the brass tacks.

Cancer Chronicle
 We began publishing The Cancer Chronicle every month in 1999. This has become a forum to educate people about cancer and has evoked a tremendous response. The Cancer Chronicle reaches over 15,000 households in India.
 
A section of the newsletter is devoted to a detailed analysis of one kind of cancer. There are also regular updates about ongoing detection camps, awareness programmes and highlights of the Trust’s activities for that particular month, etc. The lacunae in awareness, advances and the latest in cancer cure are other issues addressed.
 
Often, cancer survivors speak about their triumphs and case studies are described in detail. This serves as an interface where people learn about cancer and more importantly, know that people have been through it and survived.

Breast cancer Awareness
 It is a rather sad plight for a woman to know that she has breast cancer. Often enough, the very idea that a disease is associated with a woman’s most intimate anatomical feature, receives a “I have nothing to do with it. It is a woman’s affair,” response from the husband. Women themselves are reluctant to get themselves tested.

To a woman, breasts perhaps symbolize the epitome of what makes her so special. That is why accepting breast cancer for a woman is very, very difficult. In the eyes of all the breast cancer patients who come to us, we see that look of unbearable sorrow at the thought of having a breast removed.

Since 2000, we have been putting up posters at prominent ladies gatherings stating the simple fact that “Breast is beautiful; life is more.” Each time a woman is affected with breast cancer, our message to her is “your life is too precious to waste time mourning over a beautiful organ.”

Dr. ATIMA PATHAK IN A LEC DEM

At the Vasantha Memorial Trust, we have had women come to us in stage III or IV, making it very difficult to initiate the curing process. However, the fact that breast cancer has among the highest possibilities of cure among cancers, spurs us on.

We join the rest of the world to celebrate October as the month of Breast Cancer Awareness. Our efforts in this direction began in October 1998. Since 2001, we have stepped up our pace to include activities all the year round. Normally, each programme comprises a lecture demonstration by a leading lady doctor. This is followed by a video clipping on breast self examination. In order to assist women to get hands on training on this aspect, we also have a model with simulated nodules.

In 2002, we conducted a Breast Cancer Workshop for our volunteers and primary health workers. A comprehensive lecture was followed by an in-depth video show. Models of the breast with simulated nodules helped our team experience hands on training for breast self examination. The workshop was followed by a practical and theory review test, where the volunteers were asked to pick out the number and size of nodules.

The workshop had a tremendous effect on the confidence levels of the volunteers. Following this intensive training, the volunteers have taken the baton from the doctors. Now, they feel confident enough to conduct the breast cancer awareness programmes.

The audience regarded volunteers as one of their own, Thus; their response levels were reasonably high. In the ensuing workshops, volunteerism has been able to percolate into the hitherto uncharted territories of audience fears and doubts. Consequently, they have been able to achieve higher awareness results.

The success of the workshop was repeated with another one in Mumbai, in February, 2003. Through our breast awareness programmes, we have been able to educate more than 13,000 women across areas around Mumbai and Coimbatore. Initially, a lot of persuasion was required to urge women to come forward to get a mammogram done. Now, after the volunteers have taken over, we are happy to see more and more women come forward to undergo a mammogram.

 The breast cancer awareness programmes that we have been conducting thus far, have been very successful. In order to assess the levels of penetration these camps have had, we at the Vasantha Memorial Trust conducted a research study. The results revealed that this method was both cost effective and had a high positive response rate. We decided to bring this to the notice of our counterparts in other nations. The results were presented at the World Conference on Breast Cancer, at Victoria, BC, Canada in June 2002. Our efforts won appreciation for the simplicity and cost effectiveness.

Anti Tobacco Campaign
The causative factors for cancer are numerous. Some of them are not even known to man. But of all the carcinogens, tobacco is a sure shot cancer causative agent. Take a look at these shocking facts: one out of every 3 smokers gets lung cancer. And 9 out of 10 lung cancers are fatal. For every 4 people who chew on tobacco, 1 is a sure victim of oral cancer.
 
Our efforts in spreading the anti tobacco awareness begins with a campaign, warning people about the ill effects of this stimulant. We have discovered that the rural belts surrounding Coimbatore are rampant with tobacco users.

Lung cancer is perhaps the only kind where people don’t mind spending Rs.3 lakhs, to get it. At the Trust, we watch the youth get a kick out of smoking. We see men addicted to it. In the rural areas, we see that chewing tobacco is a favourite past time. And we begin spreading awareness. To every nicotine driven man, we say, “remember, every 8 seconds, tobacco claims one life. One day, it will choose you.”

In Schools

1.Painting competitions at schools
 The awareness programme begins with a short, interactive talk by our volunteer. He takes the students on a step by step guide on the outcome of nicotine addiction. This talk is followed by the painting competition, where students are allowed to let their imagination capture the ills of tobacco on canvas.

In our initial years, we targeted our awareness camps to students in the 9th and 10th standards. However, our experiences taught us the real facts of life. We came to know that students inhale their first taste of nicotine as early as the 6th standard. We therefore began including students from this age onwards, in our awareness programmes.
Our mission at the schools is to first stop the boy smoke his first cigarette and for those already in the habit, assist him to give up the habit completely.  

Until now, we have been able to cover over 100,000 children in schools around Coimbatore,Mumbai , Chennai,,Udumalpet & Dindugul. At all these schools, the response from the children has been overwhelming. We have even had cases where boys have taken home pamphlets to persuade their fathers and brothers to quit smoking!

Interestingly, we faced a vehement dismissal to conduct awareness programmes at a girls’ school in Coimbatore. After a gentle reminder that passive smoking was equally dangerous, we were allowed to do so. We are keen to spread the anti tobacco campaign amongst girls, because they can be the most positive influencers on smokers.

At all the schools, we have seen excellent paintings, depicting the ill effects of smoking with apt captions. These messages have taught us that children could become the most influential factors in our anti tobacco campaigns.

2. Poster Exhibitions In Schools
The program contains of a brief Presentation & ends with a pledge by the students that they will not consume tobacco in any shape or form and also each student will influence their family and friends to stop its usage. The reinforcement is done by the poster exhibition. The Students are then taken through a set of 35 posters. The beautiful paintings & illustrations in these posters enable easy understanding of the subject & make viewing pleasurable. The short video presentation at the end nails the message into them

The Program began in June 04 & Since then it has reached students from class VI to XII in 58 schools in Coimbatore & Mumbai. The Response from students, teachers and the administration has been very positive.

College competitions

 At the college level, our approach had to be different. Boys and girls at the heights of their endocrine dominated behaviour do not want lectures. They like to be told the same message in vibrant, innovative modes. Ad campaigns on cigarette-the master killer and debates on tobacco kills or tobacco thrills have evoked positive responses from these quarters.
 
World No Tobacco Day – 31st May
Since year 2000, we have joined the world’s crusade against tobacco. On this day every year, volunteers carry placards and distribute pamphlets on the dangers of using tobacco.

Our website for awareness
Our website also serves as an excellent medium to promote awareness. We have had users logging on to two exclusively designed pages. The first, titled “can I have cancer?” is a step by step guide that takes a possible cancer suspect through relevant questions. At the end of the session, the user is able to know if he is prospect, or he’s clear.

In addition to this, a special link on our website also provides smokers a step by step link on how to quit the habit of tobacco

Vasantha Shiksha
The success of conducting awareness programmes for our volunteers in breast cancer made us realise that we had to extend the same awareness to other cancers as well. Thus began Vasantha Shiksha. Over a 15 hour session spread over a week in Coimbatore and a weekend in Mumbai, 80 volunteers underwent an in-depth training seminar. The workshop was conducted by experts in the field.

Learning through expert opinion has made our volunteer base more knowledgeable in conducting the awareness camps. They have also been able to help the audiences relate better to the subject in question. These volunteers now form a part of Vasantham – our awareness programme at the grassroot

A Civilized Clown
– A film creating Cancer Awareness
The film opens with common perceptions about cancer, it is nothing but a journey through morbidity with a destination of death. This is shattered over the course of the film & ends with glimpses from Cancer Survivors Day ,wherein a large number gather to say emphatically that there is life after cancer.

The body of the film is on the early signs & symptoms of commonly occurring cancers .These include Gut, Blood, Skin ,Breast, Cervix & tobacco related cancers. Tobacco receives a special emphasis. The film shows how one is lured into smoking, which then becomes a habit ,later an addiction & leads to disease ,disability & death. It details the signs of cancers of the mouth ,throat & lung which largely because of Tobacco use. These can be prevented if you do not use tobacco & can be reversed if you quit, the film says further.

All these messages are given with easy & absorbing narration & entertainment.

Veterans in the field of Cancer in India have given commemorative talks on the Anniversary day ,4th December. Dr. Mammen Chandy ,CMC ,Vellore, Dr. V .Shanta, Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai, Dr. P.P.Bapsy ,Kidwai Memorial Centre, Bangalore ,Dr. Gangadharan ,RCC, Trivandrum & Dr. Pankaj Shah ,Gujarat Cancer Institute, Ahmedabad, have addressed on recent trends & important aspects of cancer care.

Other Measures
Specific talks like cancer In Men & Cancer in women were held on W.H.O Day & Women 's Day evoking good response. An unique program of educating pilgrims was attempted in Feb 2000 which was very rewarding.

AWARENESS STALL

Awareness stalls were also put in popular fairs, Office 2000, NGO Mela.