Malayalam celebrities join the fight against cancer

Close on the heels of actress Mamta Mohandas announcing the relapse of cancer (Hodgkin’s lymphoma), actor Innocent too made it public that he was diagnosed with throat cancer. While Mamta has been part of several cancer awareness campaigns, Innocent, whose wife is also currently undergoing treatment for throat cancer, took up the cause of cancer patients recently.
Now, actor Dileep, Aashiq Abu and Rima Kallingal too have extended their support for the cause.Dileep, who lost his father to cancer, says, “Innocent fought cancer in a positive way. Being a public figure, he has set an example to the masses by openly speaking about the disease. That inspired me to do my best to spread awareness about it,” says Dileep, who has even given up drinking and smoking as the first step to prevent the disease. The actor says that six of his family members are currently fighting cancer and that has made him even more aware of the necessity to take up the cause.
“As an actor, I have a commitment towards society. Considering the mass support I have, it is my duty to tell people to shun their fear and come forward to detect cancer at an early stage and take appropriate treatment,” says Dileep, who launched the campaign for setting up a cancer institute jointly with Justice V R Krishna Iyer in Kochi recently.
Innocent admits that it is a Herculean task to even get an appointment for scanning to detect cancer. “This is because Kochi has only one hospital that specialises in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning to detect cancer,” says Innocent and adds, “My wife and I had booked for an appointment with the doctor for a PET scan a few weeks back. Unfortunately, we got a date only for mid-November, as there are many appointments in line. Despite being a celebrity, I had to wait for so long. Imagine the plight of common people. Will they have to wait until the disease reaches an incurable stage?” Innocent has sent a request to the government to set up a cancer speciality hospital with state-of-the-art equipment, without any delay.
Newly-wedded celeb couple, Aashiq Abu and Rima Kallingal, too have extended their support towards the cancer awareness campaign. Instead of having a lavish wedding, they decided to donate that money for the welfare of cancer patients.
Appreciating the philanthropic act by Aashiq and Rima, Innocent says, “It was generous of the couple to have inspired many people with their decision to work towards the welfare of the cancer patients.”