Cancer Care & Cure

" Victory Belongs to the most persevering " - Napoleon Bonaparte

Most often, cancer is better associated with death and despair, than it is with hope and health. One of our primary objectives at the Trust involves dispelling this fact and convincing people, that it is worthwhile treating cancer victims.

To us, treating a patient with curable cancer holds top priority over anything else. This priority is strengthened by the fact that cancer if detected early, has a very high cure rate Among the numerous kinds of cancer prevalent in humans, our emphasis is tilted towards sponsoring patients with blood and breast cancers.

Breast cancer accounts for 10% of all cancers. Until the stage II, the (a small lump confined to the breast) cure rate for breast cancer stands at a phenomenal 95%. This is higher than some infectious diseases!

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, is the most common cancer in children. When taken through a correct diagnosis, prompt treatment and adequate care, chances of complete recovery stand over an astounding 70%.

Of the 212 patients we have sponsored, more than 62% are victims of blood cancer. 50% of these patients have been children. 18 ladies with breast have also been steered ashore.

All our patients belong to the lower rungs of the socio-economic strata of society. Each time we are able to infuse good health into a cancer patient, we feel gratified.

At the Vasantha Memorial Trust, we have had our share of losses too. Some of our patients have succumbed to reasons like anomalous disease behaviour and late detection. These have been instances where we have been unable to aid the patient’s recovery.

However, in some cases, we have lost patients owing to factors that could have been avoided. Patient compliance is crucial to fast track recovery. Often, owing due to premature discontinuity of treatment, deeply ingrained negative attitudes, inadequate support from kith and kin and lack of simple things like personal hygiene, death becomes inevitable.

People often fail to understand that abundant care is as vital as the Curing process itself. It is through cases like these that our efforts towards giving the patients abundant care become more concentrated.

Cancer Care

Cancer is a disease that not just eats up the physical health of victims. It pervades into their mental health, negates self-confidence and shatters their emotional peace; at the end, it is only grit, determination and faith that can conquer it. At the Vasantha Memorial Trust, we take our patients through several steps that aid the recovery process.

Patient Meet

Group Counselling
This is a process that is carried out all the year round. All cancer patients come together on the occasion and share their traumas, their fears and their triumphs with everyone else. A large number of patients have been benefited through group counselling, because they have been able to associate their troubles with another person.

Seeing how the same challenge has been faced puts the problem in a new perspective. Thus, patients are able to convince and counsel themselves.At the same time, group counselling has not worked too well for introverts. Some patients find it difficult to come out in the open and discuss their troubles with an unknown forum. In order to aid these kind of patients, we introduced the concept of patient to patient counselling

Pateint to Patient counselling

This has been a roaring success for the Trust. Here, we encourage patients to interact with each other through a one-on-one interface. Kith of the patients also interact with each other, thereby fostering a “we’re in the same boat” kind of feeling. Patient to patient counselling has had a tremendous impact on improving patient compliance and aspects of personal hygiene. Moreover, it has also helped patients nurture a positive attitude towards conquering the disease.

Cancer Survivors Day

Cancer Survivors’ Day
Celebrating Cancer Survivors’ Day on the 2nd Saturday of February every year, is something we hold very close to our hearts. This is a day when the cancer affected tells the world that he has won over the dreaded disease.
We see the triumph, gratitude and faith written all over the faces of the survivors. For our patients who are still on the road to recovery, watching their brethren living life to the fullest is like a catalyst. They are spurred into hastening their own recovery. They look forward in eager anticipation, the day when they will join the list of proud survivors.

The Cancer Survivors’ Day revolves round the theme of laughter. Comedy shows, stand up comics and a festive air fill the occasion with unmitigated joy. At the end of the celebrations, we always stand back and recall our favourite quote,” We all live, but once. A cancer affected lives twice. “This is one of the moments when we watch the power of faith work miracles.

Hospice
At the Vasantha Memorial Trust, we also support terminally ill cancer affected in hospices. Jeevodaya in Chennai, Shanthi Avedana in Mumbai ,Shanthiniketan in Trichur & Karunashraya in Bangalore are organisations that get our regular support. In addition palliative care is also supported directly from the trust.

At the Trust, each time we look at the joy of overcoming cancer on the faces of our patients, our vision towards emancipation gets strengthened. Each patient referred to us is an incentive for us to work harder, approach more patrons and somehow, put the patient back on the road to recovery. Every smile is a triumph, every face is a victory and every survivor is our most precious treasure. They all make treating cancer the more worthwhile