Monthly Report, September 2000

Rose Day, 2000

Rose Day, held on September 22^nd every year, is our way of showing cancer patients that they are not alone. Rose Day was first observed in 1994, to mark the 25th anniversary of CPAA. Today it is a nation wide movement and has become an occasion for the general public to get involved in our cause of raising cancer awareness. Patients in every hospital, clinic, hospice and treatment centre are greeted with a rose to convey a message of love and empathy. From cine celebrities to mill workers to school students, people from all walks of life visit patients to show they care.

Preparations start months ahead of time to get necessary permissions, decide on appropriate entertainment programmes and assess the numbers of patients at each centre. The organizers toil until late the night before and again in the early morning, packing gifts, flowers and making arrangements. Rose coupons are sold at various outlets, leaflets are sent along with bills and credit card holders donate through direct deductions to their credit cards. The response is always overwhelming with contributions continuing to pour in even a month later.

Rose Day 2000 was kicked off on 16^th September with a launch ceremony at the Taj Crystal Room, ably compered by Ms. Alka Kapadia, Executive Director, CPAA. The evening began with a concert, "Positive Energy Music", conceptualized by Banyan Tree Event Management Company. The performance by Pandit Shivkumar Sharma on the santoor, Shri Anando Chatterjee on the tabla, Shri Selvaganesh on the kanjira and Marie on the tanpura, was unique in that it was the first time that the kanjira, usually heard in South Indian music, was used as an accompaniment for the santoor, a distinctly North Indian instrument. The concert was followed by felicitation of some of CPAA’s long time friends and patrons. Ms. Urmila Jain, Mr. Nana Chudasama, Mr. Madanlal Dalmia, Ms. Maya Shahani, Ms. Neerja Birla, Ms. Shobha De and Mr. Pankaj Udhas were given mementos in appreciation of their extended association with CPAA. Ms. Nita Ambani, wife of industrialist Mukesh Ambani and Chief Guest for the evening’s events gave a moving speech. The evening ended with the unveiling of M.F. Husain’s painting created especially with the concept of Rose Day in mind. A serigraph version in a limited edition of 100 has also been individually signed and numbered by Mr. M.F. Husain and is available at the CPAA office. Mr. Husain has donated the entire proceeds to CPAA.

On the 20^th it was a dream come true for 17 excited children who were taken to Film City for a meeting with current screen idol and teen heartthrob, Hritik Roshan. The star easily stole the children’s hearts. He chatted with them, presented them exclusive autographed photographs with individual messages, had pictures taken with each child and presented them watches. The children had cards, roses and many good wishes to give to their hero. It was a meeting these brave children, resolutely fighting their disease, are not likely to forget. Many thanks to Mr. Rohit Kumar, producer of the film "Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne lage" for which Hritik was shooting and to Hritik’s secretary, Mr. Ashok Vashodia for organising the get together.

The 21^st saw hectic activities at the Smt. Panadevi Dalmia Cancer Management Centre and at the Adams Wylie Centre as gifts were received from generous donors all over Mumbai. Hindustan Lever donated Surf packets and Sunsilk sachets and also sponsored the t-shirts. Biscuits were donated by Britannia, Shangri-la and Windsor; chocolates by Cadburys; soaps by Godrej; GluconC packets by Heinz and Horlicks packs by Smith Kline Beecham. The posters were sponsored by Rhone Poulenc Rorer, the caps by the Aditya Birla Foundation, the banners by UTI, the t-shirts were cosponsored by Canco.

On Rose Day, flower arrangements were placed at all the hospitals, treatment centres and boarding houses for cancer patients in Mumbai, including Bhatia, Bombay, Breach Candy, Cama and Albless, Harkishondas, Hinduja, JJ, KEM, Lilavati, Masina, Nair, Prince Aly Khan, Sion, Sushrusha, Tata Memorial and Wadia Hospitals; Byculla Nursing Home; Jaslok and Lady Ratan Tata Radiation Centres; Bharat Seva Sadan, Ernest Borges Home, Mohan Dayal Sanatorium, Morarji Sanatorium, Nana Phalke Smriti and Shanti Avedna Ashram. Gifts and flowers with individual messages were distributed at each of these places.

Entertainment programmes were conducted simultaneously at many locations. At Tata Memorial Hospital a moonwalker was placed in the General OPD for the children to bounce around on. A party was also arranged at Tata by KAS Productions during which cartoon characters mingled with the children.

At Shanti Avedna Ashram, many groups came to greet the patients including one of spastic children. Joan Cordeiro and her choir group sang some beautiful hymns in English and Hindi with everyone joining in including the patients and CPAA volunteers. This was followed by a skit "Mind Your Language" and a dance item with colourful costumes and lively movements presented by Bombay International School students.

Dr. C. J. Joshi with the help of Rotary Club of Queen’s Necklace had organised a very successful party and magic show at Wadia Hospital.

McDonalds have always been very supportive to CPAA’s activities. This year, too, they arranged for Ronald McDonald to entertain children at Sion Hospital with magic tricks. 45 children sang and danced with Ronald who gave them balloons and encouraged them to participate in the magic tricks.

Students from Sophia College put up a programme for the patients at Ghatge Baba Dharamshala where gifts were also distributed. Films were screened at Nana Phalke Smriti and Mohan Dayal Sanatorium. Shree Radhashyamji gave a "Bhajan Sandhya" programme at Bharat Seva Sadan.

A number of celebrities visited the wards at Tata Memorial Hospital and distributed gifts and flowers. Many thanks to Anil Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Tanya and Ruby Bhatia who took time off from their busy schedules to infuse a lot of joy into the lives of the patients.

Traditionally the day ends with a programme at the Ernest Borges Home at Bandra. This year too, an orchestra played for the benefit of the patients and their relatives in a programme that was a grand finale to the events of the day.

The entire programme was given enthusiastic media coverage. MidDay placed an advertisement a few days earlier with the message "Indifference Can Kill, Cancer Need Not" and devoted 2 pages to Rose Day on the 22^nd in an effort to raise funds for the event. A moving picture of Hritik Roshan with a child in one hand and a rose in the other was published on the front page of Bombay Times. The events organised also got coverage in different daily newspapers and TV channels.

The programme and its successful implementation involve individual contributions by each and every CPAA employee, quite often outside the line of actual duty. At the end of the day, however, everyone agreed that the smiles they were able to put on so many faces made all their trials worthwhile.

Department Reports

Cancer Awareness Programme

During the past few months, Mrs. Zainab Allana and her group have covered the entire Central Railways at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus through the Awareness and Fund Collection programmes. A total of 4000 people were covered.

From the month of July, the Income Tax offices were addressed. During the month of August awareness lectures were conducted at the Charni Road and Grant Road branches of the Income Tax offices. The Marine Lines office branch was covered in September.

Anti-tobacco lectures were delivered at St. John’s School and at Bombay International School as a part of the Awareness drive targeted towards school children.

Prevention and Early Detection

28 camps and OPDs were held during the month of September.

6 camps were held at the Central Railway, Parel Workshop, 4 for the Byculla Muslim Association, 3 for the Army at Colaba, 2 each for Rotary, Thane and Jindal and one for Mahindra Tractors.

A total of 642 people, 322 males and 320 females were screened in the camps. 170 were advised follow up. 10 OPDs were held. 61 males and 115 females were screened. 60 people were advised follow up.

Smt. Lila Kishanchand Shahani Clinical Diagnostic Centre

The Smt. Lila Kishanchand Shahani Clinical Diagnostic Centre screened a total of 182 patients during August. 582 tests were performed, out of which 503 were pathological tests. 2 free tests were performed. 10 sonography, 41 x-ray and 28 mammography investigations were carried out. 18 free mammographies were done during the month.

Insurance

50 new policies were registered in September, bringing the total to 6554. 62 people were examined, of whom 8 had come for the first check-up and 54 for renewal check up. Rs. 50,000 was disbursed towards the claim made this month.

Patient Care

At Smt. Panadevi Dalmia Cancer Management Centre

72 new patients were registered during the month of September, 44 under the Aid category, 22 under the Adoption category and 6 under the Special Adoption category. Out of this number, 15 children were registered. 380 patients were aided, counseled and given guidance. 168 patients availed of ambulance facilities, including 22 patients who availed of the service for long distance. 75 sets of clothes and 37 packets of Complan were distributed. 2 home and institutional visits were made. Donations amounting to Rs. 10,000 were collected and Rs. 2.76 lakhs were disbursed. Ten of our patients expired during the month.

At Tata Memorial Hospital

155 patients were aided, guided and counseled by CPAA’s Halima Aurangabadkar at Tata Memorial Hospital during September. 13 ward visits were made. 200 packets of biscuits were distributed. 30 patients were given clothes. 4 kgs of sweets were distributed. 12 referred cases were helped. 16 children were given toys. 72 patients were given Complan and 13 patients were given medicines.

At Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children

12 new patients were registered during the month. 833 patients attended follow up of whom 163 patients are undergoing chemotherapy. 10 patients were counseled and given guidance and 10 patients were visited in their wards. 10 group meetings regarding cleanliness and diet were given. 25 packets of biscuits and Complan were distributed.

12^th September was the birthday of Aaron Pinto, one of our patients who expired in April 2000. His parents observed the day by distributing biscuits and Complan to the 25 children who attended the clinic on that day.

"Can I Help You?" CPAA’s Desk at Tata Memorial Hospital’s Private OPD

This month, Jennifer Quadros was able to help 158 patients, providing information on various kinds of cancers, helping 138 in filling up forms and giving medical counseling to 13. CPAA has also provided newspapers for the benefit of patients waiting in the registration area. 129 patients made use of the facility.

Mr. Madanlal Tiwari, a 58-year-old stomach cancer patient had come from Madhya Pradesh for treatment. The family had sold property there and managed to raise Rs. 55,000. After the operation in September, they realized that they might fall somewhat short of money to cover the entire expense. To raise the balance funds, Jennie helped Mr. Tiwari’s son, Rajesh, in putting together all the supporting documents required and sent him to St. Michael’s Church. There he was given Rs. 10,000. Sure enough, the total bill came to Rs. 60,500, but the Tiwaris were able to pay the entire bill and had a bit to spare when they returned.

Counseling at Cama & Albless Hospital Cancer Ward

The newly started Counseling Cell at Cama & Albless Hospital continued to perform sterling service. The patients are usually from the lower economic strata and some are living below the poverty line. They generally show signs of severe malnutrition and are afraid, anxious and in withdrawal from non-acceptance of their diagnosis. Most of the patients complain of insomnia because of tension and anxiety. A Silva Mind Control Technique sleep induction session was organised for their benefit by Ms. Iva Athavia of CPAA’s Patient Care Department. The patients reported a marked benefit from the session and more such sessions are planned.

11 new patients were counseled out of whom 6 were registered with CPAA. 53 patients were counseled and given guidance in the OPD and ward visits. 28 patients of cervical (15), breast (2), ovarian (9) and rectal (2) cancer were visited in the wards. Out of these, the large majority, 16 are in the age group 30-49 years, 2 are in the age group 10-29 years and 10 are in the age group 50 and above.

Rehabilitation

The Rehabilitation Centre was humming with activity as preparations for Diwali reached fever pitch.

The Rehabilitation Centre adopted 4 new patients and relatives this month. A total of 80 patients were helped. 8 cases of mastectomy were attended and breast prostheses were provided. 189 patients were given rations worth Rs. 26,782. Rs. 21,570 was spent on teachers’ salaries, for patient education and vocational training. Rs. 1,34,228 was spent on patient wages and Rs. 23,742 was spent on welfare activities, conveyance and diet supplements. The Rehabilitation Centre’s total income for the month, exclusive of CPAA transfer, was Rs. 5.29 lakh.

New Projects

Three chats are held every day on CPAA’s website www.cpaaindia.org. The first session at 1PM is conducted by a CPAA representative and covers activities from Awareness Lectures to Early Detection to Insurance. Doctors from Jaslok, Hinduja and Nanavati Hospitals conduct the second session at 3PM. The session at 5 PM is hosted by survivors and counselors.

The programme was started in July. Posters have been put up in hospitals and internet cafes. Bookmark sized cards will also be printed giving the schedules for distribution to doctors. The first celebrity chat was held on 29^th September with Sunil Dutt, MP. Transcripts of the chat will be published in the Monthly Report for October.

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