Mrs. Vasantha
4.12.39 - 27.3.90

She suffered the torments of cancer , Not because she was destined to suffer Not because she was cursed,
She suffered it to awaken us to a cause that needs emancipation

The Vasantha Memorial Trust was founded on 4th Dec 1993 with an aim to dissociate cancer with death, despair and disfigurement and associate it with hope, health and happiness.

Cancer Care & Cure

Since genesis the trust has aided 286 patients to fight against cancer. Care of the cancer patient does not end with treatment. Firstly the patient needs moral and emotional support. To facilitate this, the trust organizes patients meet, patient to patient counseling and the like. An important event that it conducts every year is Cancer survivors’ day, when hundreds who have conquered cancer congregate. The presence of such guys in flesh and blood is the biggest inspiration that a cancer affected can get. He fought over, I too will is the inspiring thought that he acquires.

The cancer survivor also needs to put back in the society as both a normal and useful individual. To enable this, the trust has a cancer Survivors Rehabilitation program. Through it gives monthly pension to elders, supports education of students and enables self employment with provision of equipment like sewing machines

Cancer Camps

With a determination to detect cancer early the Vasantha Memorial Trust has conducted over 120 camps in Tamil Nadu and Mumbai. Several thousands have been screened at these camps and those detected with cancer have been sponsored for treatment. From the mega camps in village it has switched to micro camps in housing societies.

Cancer Awareness

A major thrust is given by the trust to Cancer Awareness programs. It is convinced that if people are educated about cancer, the disease will be picked up early and cure from cancer will be enhanced. It has tailored programs for each group of people. To school children it concentrates on dangers of tobacco use, to women about breast cancer and to working men about lung and gut cancers.

Apart from this, it has a monthly newsletter, The Cancer Chronicle, which reaches nearly 10,000 households all over India. The magazine carries fundas of one cancer each month. Survivor stories are also carried to inspire those in fight and these also help to dispel the myth that cancer means death. The website www.vasantha.org has special link, could I have cancer, which list the possibilities symptom wise. Periodically it conducts, Vasantha Shiksha , an orientation course to cancer , for medical students and volunteers. Lastly it puts up stall in consumer fairs and reaches the message about cancer to people at large.

Funds

To fuel its activities it generates funds through various means. A mode stressed is mass participation. An activity that brings in these elements iin abundance is Jumble Sale. For eight years in a row it has held this sale in Coimbatore and the one in 2007 raised 8.03 lakh rupees.

Music has been used to get like minded people under one roof and as a spin off gather funds also. Veteran Carnatic and Hindustani musicians have lent their voice for cancer

Ladies at home applied their skills of embroidery on white kerchiefs to raise funds for the trust.. 25,000 children from various schools in Coimbatore painted greeting cards to raise finds for children with cancer.

Individuals and organizations have come forward and donated large chunks of money to the trust for all activities. GKR Charities founded and run by Mr. G. K .Ramamurthy tops the list. The man who epitomizes the word charity not only contributes funds but also sees that he is physically present at all important occasions. The GKR fund has sponsored the treatment of one third of patients supported by the trust. The first large individual contribution came from Mr. N. Jayaraman , founder trustee of the trust, when he left one lakh rupees in his will for the trust in 1999. Since then several lakhs have come from individuals from the community large and several endowments inside the trust carry their names. Nameless men and women have dropped a coin or two in the charity boxes kept at several places. Charity boxes will also be passed during the program today, and we would be happy generous contributions fill these.

Need For community Involvement

It is the concern for cancer from people at large that has taken the trust to this level. Committed compassionate individuals from the community have joined the trust as volunteers. The members who hail from different walks of life have put up a dedicated effort to see that the aims of the trust are realized.

Individuals have shared the advantages that they have acquired in life to the trust. Someone has shared his knowledge, someone his wealth and someone his might. All acquisitions thus gained have led to the championing of the cause – cancer. A cause that needs ample emancipation. A cause, which needs the involvement of every individual in the society. Can it begin with you ….