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A report from The Tribune India notes that every year, nearly 75,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in India, which accounts for 20% of the global childhood cancer burden, and according to The Indian Express, only an estimated 15-45 per cent of these children are cured of the disease.
For a child with cancer, it is a battle for and with life. Childhood cancer is curable, and with timely and appropriate treatment, kids with cancer can not only fight the disease and survive, but also thrive in wonderful ways.
However, the community lacks awareness about the problem, and hence ensuring access to quality healthcare, especially in remote areas of the country, has also proved to be a challenge. This is exactly what CanKids KidsCan has been working on addressing and improving.
“Childhood cancer is not a hereditary disease, in the main. But when it comes to children with cancer - it still breaks my heart that a child has cancer, and as a parent, I have to see my child suffering. More often than not, it is through no fault of anybody’s [that they have cancer].” - Poonam Bagai, Chairperson, CanKids KidsCan
The Delhi-based organisation was founded in 2004 by Poonam Bagai, a cancer survivor. While she was fighting her own battle against colon cancer, she made a promise to herself that if she survived, she would reach out and help every child that was living with cancer. 18 years later, she’s still heeding to her promise and through her organisation, has provided direct medical and emotional care to over 60,000 children living with cancer.
Through its initiative Access2Care, the organisation incorporates the principle of YANA or You Are Not Alone, comprising two broad spectrums - CanKids Hospital Support Units and Change For Childhood Cancer. It enables the best treatment care and support to children with cancer; and guides children and families to treating centres for earliest possible detection, diagnosis and treatment.
“At CanKids, we work with any child with cancer, and any family whose child is going through a cancer treatment or a cancer journey. The ones that we financially support the most are those who come from humble, underprivileged backgrounds.” - Poonam
The organisation runs 122 CanKids Hospital Support Units involving strategic partnerships with specialty hospitals across 15 states and Union Territories. In addition, it also ensures holistic support by providing
- Home Away From Home: Low-cost accommodation facilities near cancer care centres for children and their families during the course of treatment
- Canshala: A school-at-the-hospital to guarantee continued education for the child
- Shubita: India’s first and only paediatric palliative care centre with day-care facilities, and both IPD and OPD services.
Under Change For Childhood Cancer, CanKids partners with respective state governments and all relevant stakeholders to ascertain early cancer detection and diagnosis in children, and appropriate referral to the right cancer centres that facilitate quality treatment, care and support.
“In order for our children to survive at CanKids, we work towards 100% access to care. Children and their families should know where to go, when they think their child has cancer. They should get diagnosed quickly and the child should start treatment and get the best treatment on the spot. That is what we are committed to. That is our vision.” - Poonam
CanKids KidsCan want to ensure Access2Care for 2,000 kids with cancer to help them survive and thrive. For that, they’re aiming to raise INR 1 Crore and are asking for your unyielding love and support. Open your heart and make a donation today; stand with their mission to help more kids survive cancer.
