The Real Stars – Child Cancer Survivors, celebrate Children’s Day with Tennis Star, Sania Mirza at Apollo Cancer Hospital

The REAL STARS – Child Cancer Survivors, celebrate Children’s Day with Tennis Star, Sania Mirza at Apollo Cancer Hospital !

The theme of the celebrations on the eve of the Children’s day is ‘It Came, We fought, I Won! I am the Hero!!

Hyderabad, November 13, 2013: Apollo Cancer Hospital hosted a colourful celebrations on the eve of Children’s Day at Apollo Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad, today. Child Cancer Survivors – ‘The Real Stars’ who courageously combated cancer and lead a normal life, celebrated this Children’s Day with Tennis Star Sania Mirza. Child Cancer Survivors sang and danced in gay abundance. These tiny stars, who went through an ordeal of lifetime, sent a strong message that cancer can be conquered and life is normal thereafter. Sania Mirza felicitated the survivors on the occasion.

Speaking to the gathering Sania said, I myself underwent three surgeries and they seemed to be the toughest part of my life, looking at these kids who fought against cancer, the trauma I underwent seems small. I lost my grandfather to cancer, but treatment for cancer was not so advanced at that time, today the cancer treatment has evolved, Doctors at Apollo Cancer Hospital are in a position to successfully treat majority of the cancer patients, we are all in safe hands now. There is lot of radiation and pollution in the environment, the moment you find your kid dull or inactive please take him to a doctor, as early detection of cancer can help in complete cure of cancer. These kids who have survived cancer are the real heroes and I wish to see them extremely successful some day. I also look forward for the day we can conquer this dreadful disease, she added.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. P. Vijay Anand Reddy, Director, Apollo Cancer Hospital said, the dreadful Cancer doesn’t even spare Children. In India, around 45,000 new cases of Childhood Cancers are diagnosed every year. Childhood cancers constitute 4.5% of all Cancers in India (70 per 10,00,000 population). Dr. Reddy added that Children cope with Cancer treatment better than adults and recover much faster than adults. Most Cancers in Childhood are curable, in fact 80% of all childhood Cancers are curable and in contrast only 65% of adult cancers are curable, he pointed out.

Child Cancer Survivors and their parents interacted and shared their experiences with the parents of Child Cancer patients. A parent whose child is undergoing treatment said, it sounded like a death knell when our son was pronounced as cancer afflicted, no amount of counselling from the doctors about he being cured gave us complete confidence. Look at these survivors, they are like normal kids, now I am convinced of my child being completely cured and going back to his academics, thank Apollo Cancer Hospital for creating this opportunity, he added.

Dr. S.V.S.S. Prasad, Sr. Consultant Medical Oncologist, briefed the gathering about the Symptoms of Childhood Cancers and when to approach the doctors. He said 80% of cancers in children can be treated.