Organized by Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital and International Oncology Services Pvt Ltd ‘Walk for Life 2014’ witnessed massive participation from over 600 Mumbaites, including breast cancer survivors, who gathered to support the cause of breast cancer awareness. In its 4th consecutive year, the event was organized to spread the word on early detection of breast cancer to prevent further complications.
Flagged off by Niranjan Hiranandani, managing director, Hiranandani Group, the event‘Walk for Life’ was supported by Rotary Club of Mumbai, LAKERS and covered a distance of 2.2 kms around the scenic Powai Lake.
Spearheading the initiative, Dr Sujit Chatterjee, CEO, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital said, “The women of our country are a national treasure. It’s time we all wake up to create awareness for the love of women in our life because they are irreplaceable. For a grave disease that it is, the only key to higher long-term survival rates is early detection. Our aim is to reach out to the masses and encourage all women to seek facts and not delay any symptoms the decisions related to it.”
The idea behind the walk is to create and spread awareness on the serious concerns about breast cancer. Today, it is one of the most common cancers in women accounting to 25-27% of all cancer cases. The average age of the high risk group in 43-46 years in India unlike in the West where women aged 53-57 years are more prone to breast cancer.
Talking about the initiative, Dr Neeraj Mehta, Regional Head, International Oncology Services Pvt. Ltd. said, “Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among Indian women. While the awareness has increased in the past few years, women fail to take timely action. The lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is one in 22 in urban India and one in 60 in rural India over the lifetime of a woman. It is also important for people to know about the common myths and taboos related to the disease and the only way is to create societal awareness through initiatives such as these. Avoiding risk factors and early detection will go a long way in reducing incidence and achieving higher cure rates”.
As a forerunner to the event, Dr L H Hiranandani Rangshila Hospital and International Oncology Services Pvt. Ltd along with Rangshila theatre group performed street plays in various locations in Mumbai to spread awareness on breast cancer and the importance of self detection and early diagnosis.
Among the various survivors supporting the walk, was Dhansukhlal Shah, a 69 years old man from Ghatkopar and a breast cancer survivor. Shah was lucky to have diagnosed and operated this grave disease at a very initial stage, which made it possible to be cured. Talking about his victory over breast cancer, Shah said, “In my case, there were two things that helped me get cured, one was an early detection of the tumour and second is my willpower. An early detection of the disease is extremely important and that will happen only when more and more people are aware about the disease.
"Today, very few people are aware of the fact that breast cancer occurs in men too, even though the occurrence is low as compared to women. I would therefore urge people to become aware and know more about the disease. I am here to support this social cause and contribute to the efforts of Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital,” Shah added.