School children at cancer awareness walk

Their faces were wreathed in smiles. It is their can-do optimism which has brought them back from the brink of death. An implausible amount of energy pulsed through these kids as they were seen holding placards in their hands, which said, “There is life after cancer”.
Death may be a fearful thing, but these children showed extraordinary courage and fortitude in fighting off a deadly disease like cancer, and lived to tell the tale.They were part of the annual walk for cancer awareness commemorating International Cancer Day (February 4) at Navy Children School which was flagged off by the chief of the army staff VK Singh along with ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh. Also present on the occasion were Bharati Singh, wife of the army chief, and Elizabeth Antony, wife of the union defence minister AK Antony. Admiral MP Muralidharan, chief of personnel, Indian Navy, was among the other guests of honour at the event.
Another famous sports personality who made her presence felt on this occasion was Santosh Yadav, the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest. Children from various schools participated in the walk enthusiastically.
The walk which began and ended at Navy Children School passed through Brigadier Hoshiar Singh Road. The main aim of the walk was to celebrate the undying spirit of cancer survivors as well as spread awareness about cancer amongst the general public. “This year, the walk addressed awareness of childhood cancer. These are cancers which are easily cured when detected early. Children respond well to treatment. The tragedy in India is that only about 20% children survive the disease. The potential for improving this dismal figure lies in improved awareness,” said Jyotsna Govil, joint secretary of Indian Cancer Society.
A play was staged by Cankids, the ‘Cancer Winner Children’ who fought and won the battle against cancer. There were over 80 such children, with the youngest amongst them being a two-year-old boy named Himanshu Kumar. “The reason why these kids have survived is because of the fact that they retained strong will power and never gave up their fight against cancer,” said Gauri Kapoor, senior consultant pediatric oncology, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute, which joined Indian Cancer Society.
Milkha Singh, who flagged off the march, said that it was really a great moment for him to be a part of the event. He informed that on behalf of Milkha Singh Trust, he donated Rs 20,000 to the Indian Cancer Society for their commendable work in this field. “There is a need to spread public awareness about this deadly disease. Moreover, people should lead healthy lives and avoid alcohol and smoking,” said Milkha Singh.
Santosh Yadav was equally impressed by the positive thinking displayed by the kids in their battle against cancer. “These kids have shown that if you think positive and never lose hope, anything can be overcome in life. Our society should treat cancer patients with compassion and extend them all emotional support possible,” she said.