Cookery event gives cancer fighters flavour of hope

NAGPUR: ‘Flavours of Hope’, a cookery event organized to celebrate the strength of those who fought and defeated breast cancer with courage and determination, got a chance to try their hands with the chefs of a hotel on Thursday.
The programme was organized by Health Care Global Centre Nagpur Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (HCG NCHRI) in association with a city hotel.Five women, who beat the disease, cooked and gave the message of hope.
The five fighters were Dr Meena Mishra, Sunita Dubey, Khushbu Bhirani, Anupama Pradhan and Archana Das who prepared dishes like paneer butter masala and chicken lababdar under the guidance of director of food and beverages Vikas Pal, senior sous chef Gautam Halder and the kitchen team.
The dishes were offered at special prices to the invitees, with the proceeds from the sale going toward helping the economically marginalized cancer patients in getting treatment.
Talking about their experience, the women expressed amazement on getting such an opportunity to express themselves. Mishra, who is an associate professor at Government Medical College, said, “I tested positive for breast cancer in 2011 and it’s been seven years and I try to live my life in the best possible way. I never gave up and I fought with all my might. This event is a step to ensure that where there is cancer, there is a hope.”
Dr Ajay Mehta, director of surgical oncology at HCG NCHRI, spoke about the rising cases of the disease and how it can be treated. “The first and most important is self breast examination by women, followed by mammography.”
He also commented on lack of resources available in India to detect cancer. In developed countries like the US, there is 95% chance of catching the disease at ‘stage 0’ while in India, it’s usually detected in ‘stage 3-4’.
Also present were Dr Suchitra Mehta, director of psycho oncology and Manoj Bali, general manager of the hotel.