People have been too conscious about illnesses. When it comes to cancer, people tend to shut themselves in and take precaution about revealing that they have cancer. To spread awareness and spread the personal messages of cancer survivors themselves, Nepal Cancer Support Group is putting together a ramp show, providing a platform for cancer patients and survivors to spread their messages as well as awareness to tackle the mentality of cancer that is present in the Nepalese Society.

How do you at Nepal Cancer Hospital boost the morale of patients that currently have or have won against cancer? 

From the moment someone is diagnosed with cancer, to the time when they beat it, he/she will have learned a lot about the disease. They will have gone through the extremes in the fight against this illness, and will have found confidence in themselves by the end of it. In the end, the many cancer patients and survivors are the ones that tell us that cancer should not be feared as much as it has been. The entire experience adds a lot to their self-confidence and belief, and that makes us extremely happy. 

How has the alienation mentality been tackled? 

It has become human nature to alienate and distance ourselves from people and situations like that. So mainly to tackle this very mentality, we host a variety of events and programs with the purpose of spreading awareness, not just on the surface but leaving a lasting impression. With the ramp show that is being organized, many of the faces that will be there are going to be cancer survivors who are getting this platform as a voice for them. Their personal messages, their experiences and their courage, we are hoping and believe, will be a major turning point in terms of awareness. 

How do you convince the hesitant voices to come forward? 

It is always a tricky job, to convince them to put themselves forward. For that reason itself, I believe it is important that we conduct such programs and events in a timely manner. When a group of survivors come forward and share their messages, over time we believe that that in itself will help build up strength and confidence in other survivors to come forward and add their messages as well.