8 survivors awarded for giving cancer a tough fight

Four-year-old Harshda Shardul was one of the eight cancer survivors who was presented with an award for bravely fighting the disease by the Cancer Patient Aids Association (CPAA) on the occasion of Rose Day.

Anita Peter, director, Cancer Patients Aids Association (CPAA), said that Rose Day was a day to make cancer survivors feel good after the ordeal they had been through.

“Doctors from hospitals across the city had nominated their patients for the award,” she said.

Harshda, who comes from a socio-economically  backward family, was diagnosed with retinoblastoma — cancer of the eye.
Dr Sachin Almel, who treated her at PD Hinduja Hospital, said she deserved the award.

“Harshda has a fighting spirit, and that helped her come out of the experience a survivor. She was never depressed about the fact that she suffered from cancer, and her cheerful talks used to win the hearts of all the doctors and other visitors at the hospital. The brave girl fought and survived the disease with a smile on her face,” said Dr Almel.

The award winners belonged to different age groups. Another winner, 32-year-old Amarpreet Hanjra, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas — a diverse group of blood cancer.
Dr Asha Kapadia said, “Initially, Amarpreet was very upset when the news was disclosed to her, but her first priority was the child she was carrying. The only thing that drove her to fight the disease was saving her unborn child’s life. There was a time in between when she faced financial crisis and even had an emotional breakdown, but she managed to hold on.”

Amarpreet  delivered a boy right after her chemotherapy sessions came to an end. She  now leads a normal life.