Surviving cancer is not easy. Not because it is deadly or because cure is unknown. It’s the fear factor that makes survival difficult. For those who crush the disease, it is a ‘punarjanma’ (rebirth).
Punarjani Cancer Crusader Society (PCCS) works towards making this rebirth easy for patients. It is a platform for cancer patients, survivors, crusaders, and those who have lost someone to cancer, where they support each other.
Punarjani came into being as a group of waiting room friends at the oncology clinic of K.V. Gangadharan in Kozhikode eight years ago. They were all affected by cancer and were waiting to meet the doctor.
The little pranks and jokes brought them together and they have stood by each other through thick and thin since then. Soon they realised how vital this support was through the treatment which was emotionally and physically taxing. This led them to set up a platform and help others in similar situations.
Cancer patients are often traumatised by the way people behave towards them. Even close relatives do not know how to deal with the situation since they themselves will be in shock. Some cry, some sympathise… All this affects the morale of the patient.
Pep talkThe founders of Punarjani believe that nothing soothes a cancer patient more than a tale of survival told by a survivor. “It gives them the strength to fight,” said Elizabeth I.V., a founding member of Punarjani.
Punarjani was registered as a society only a month ago. Besides offering peer support to patients, the society plans a variety of activities that include cancer awareness walkathons, medical camps, seminars, and expeditions. Taking their mind off the disease is one way of helping the patients.
ActivitiesThe society does this by encouraging the patient to engage in some activity of their choice, like knitting, painting or baking. It also helps the desolate families claw back from grief and debt by facilitating placements or encouraging self-employment, society secretary Roseline John said.
The new oncology clinic of Dr. Gangadharan, the patron, on Jaffer Khan Colony Road, is the centre of all activities of the society.
