: Yuvraj Singh has put forward a passionate plea for more people to undergo testing for cancer.
“Not too many people come forward to get tested, but it’s absolutely free. Please come in; you don’t want to be too late,” the 31-year-old said. “It’s scary and unacceptable to be told you have cancer. It’s quite devastating to those who go through it.”
The Indian cricketer, who successfully battled a germ cell cancer after being diagnosed in the aftermath of the 2011 World Cup, was speaking here on Friday to announce Cancer Detection Month. Yuvraj’s cancer foundation, YouWeCan, and the Indian Cancer Society will conduct testing camps in the city over the next month.
Yuvraj, in the city captaining India A in its limited-overs series against the West Indies A, recalled his struggles with disease. “After the World Cup win, I was on a high but from then on it was a real low. But I didn’t hide it, instead, I fought it and came back a winner,” he said.
Yuvraj would not be drawn on a potential return to the senior team. “A comeback will happen if it has to. For the last two years, I’ve been trying to get my body to the best of its ability. But I’m here to urge people to fight against cancer.”
Kishore Rao, chairman, Indian Cancer Society, said: “Yuvraj has contributed out of his own pocket for this. We want as many people as possible to benefit. Early detection can mean everything.”
