THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Celebrating the spirit of cancer survivors for three consecutive years, Pink Hope Cancer Patient Support Group along with HCG – The Specialist in Cancer Care unveiled the fourth edition of Self V Survivor Stories.
As the theme changes every year, this time it is ‘Celebrating Life’ which encompasses various aspects of celebration associated with life. Self V Survivor Stories is a unique platform, a one-of- a-kind celebration for cancer survivors to celebrate the indomitable spirit of overcoming cancer.
As incidences of cancer are quite high in the region, the main idea of such a campaign is to break the stigma associated with cancer, inspiring cancer survivors to come forward and share their stories of hope, which becomes an ideal encouragement of hope for many patients fighting cancer. According to Population Based Cancer Registries (PBCR), as many as 50,000 new cancer cases are detected in the state of Kerala every year, which exceeds the national average. The number of deaths from cancer is over 20,000.
Amongst men, lung is the most common cancer followed by oral and stomach. While amongst women, breast cancer is the most common followed by Thyroid and cervix. In recent times, tobacco related cancers have risen alarmingly. Among males 43.8% of the cancers are tobacco related and females 13.6% cancers are tobacco related in the region.
To participate in the campaign, cancer survivors would need to take a self-video of up to 60-90 seconds duration, capturing the story of their conquest over cancer and embracing their present way of life, celebrating every moment. The videos are then uploaded on facebook.com/selfv or on www.selfv.in and then will be judged by an external jury and the best ones will be selected for the grand finale of Self V 2018.
Cancer Survivor Amar Bhaskar said, “As there is a fight and struggle associated with the disease, it is high time we break the negativity and stigma around cancer persisting in the society, moving towards a positive messaging, inspire and encourage cancer patients and survivors, their families for support and live life to the fullest. I am glad to be a part of this event which brings about the right spirit of cancer survivors, showcasing their stories.”
Cancer Survivor Farida Rizwan added, “Being cancer survivors ourselves, we understand the experience that every cancer patient goes through. SelfV is all about hope and triumph for cancer survivors. A positive mindset has helped me throughout and today we all are winners, celebrating every small and big aspects of our lives. More and more Cancer survivors sharing their stories about overcoming the disease will instill confidence in thousands of cancer patients, that there is a life after cancer and it can be rejoiced.”
Dr. Nalini Rao – Support Member – SelfV Survivor Stories said, “Cancer is considered as a stigma in the society and it is important to spread the message in the right way which gives the cancer survivors courage to come up and share their stories of inspiration. To capture the story of their struggle and conquest over cancer this is a perfect platform for all survivors to share their stories of hope to others and giving them strength.”
Through this initiative the main aim of Pink Hope Cancer Patient Support Group along with HCG is to build awareness for patients fighting cancer and encourage other cancer survivors to share their survival stories. For more information on Self V log onto: www.selfv.in
