Five thousand employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global leader in IT services, resolved to take a pledge to raise awareness on blood cancer. Celebrating that spirit, Kauvery Hospital Chennai, a leading multispecialty healthcare chain in Tamil Nadu, organised a cancer awareness run for them.
The participants took a pledge to educate themselves on cancer, and spread the awareness to the public, thereby helping in improving the outcomes for those living with blood cancer, and supporting their recovery.
Blood cancers are of two types- acute and chronic. The former presents within a short period of time and has a severe course when compared to the latter. Every year, eight lakh people are diagnosed with blood cancer in India, which accounts for 8% of total cancers in the country.
The symptoms are generally common for blood cancers; however some may present differently- as a bone injury or fever, or even just a low haemoglobin or platelet count. Paediatric blood cancers account for about four four lakh diagnoses globally every year. But 80% of childhood blood cancers are treatable if detected early.
“Cancer treatments have advanced in recent years, and we have been consistently educating the public about early screening. The idea behind conducting this run for TCS is that the corporates attract young people who are also young parents. Educating them on cancer and early detection can help save lives. Also, today’s youth play an integral role in planning for a better future. We believe the corporates will play a major role in taking this message to sub-urban and rural areas, where the awareness is much lesser,” said Dr Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital Chennai.