LV Prasad Eye Institute’s Whitathon Run raises awareness on Retinoblastoma eye cancer

To raise awareness on early detection of

Retinoblastoma

eye cancer in children, LV Prasad Eye Institute organized the second edition of

Whitathon

Run on May 19 to commemorate the World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week that is being observed from May 13-19, 2019.

Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, ESL Narasimhan, and Commissioner of Police, Anjani Kumar flagged off the unique run at People’s Plaza, Necklace Road at 6 am.

Retinoblastoma is one of the rarer cancers prevalent today and most commonly (90%) affects children below three years of age. The funds raised from the Whitathon Run will be utilized for treating poor children suffering from the cancer free of cost, and to provide resources for future research to explore new treatment options for this alarming disease.

Speaking before flagging off the run, ESL Narasimhan, said, "I care for your eye care, is the theme of this laudable initiative launched by LV Prasad Eye Institute. My request to all the healthcare organisations is to take a cue from this and launch similar initiatives so that we can raise general awakening about all the health problems, practically from birth to death. If people become aware and conscious of diseases, they can be detected and prevented at an early stage. My request to participants is not to limit your effort to participating in this run today, but to take the message about the ailment and spread it, so that several more will get to know about it. Awake, arise, stop not till you reach your goal, which is what this whole initiative is about."

Anjani Kumar, appreciating the event said, "The presence of participants in such large numbers conveys the message to the entire city – the importance of having awareness about health ailments and early detection of such ailments to lead a healthy life. Hyderabad is one of the safest cities in India and with this kind of initiatives it will become one of the healthiest cities in the country."