Cancer Survivors Turn Showstoppers for Noble Cause

Cancer Survivors Turn Showstoppers for Noble Cause

Eight cancer survivors hit the ramp at the fourth edition of Kiah Fashion Show here on Friday to let the world know that the chronic disease is not strong enough to break their spirit and diminish their love for life.

The show was organised by Parichay Foundation to raise funds for girls who have dropped out of school under its Alaknanda Scholarship Programme.

“I felt really happy to be part of the show. It was a beautiful and memorable experience. Meeting other cancer survivors and getting to learn their story was really inspiring,” said Odissi danseuse Swagatika Acharya. Swagatika was only 19 years old when she was diagnosed with cancer. But she bravely fought the disease and completely recovered within a year. She is now on a mission to spread awareness on cancer and help people understand that cancer is curable if detected early. “People should bravely fight the disease. If I can defeat cancer, then anyone can do it,” Swagatika said.

Appreciating the initiative of Parichay Foundation, she said, “Walking down the ramp for such a noble cause made me happy. It gives me immense pleasure to know that I have contributed my part to help drop out students continue their studies.”

Equally inspiring is the tale of 63-year-old Ranjana Agarwal, a renowned businesswoman. Despite being diagnosed with cancer, she never lost hope and continued to do the things which she loved. She travelled to places, designed clothes and furniture, did gardening, painting and a host of other activities. Her mantra for recovery is happiness. “Always be happy and positive. Don’t let cancer get the better of you as it is curable. Proper medication is the best solution,” she said.

Bishnupriya Sahoo, a homemaker, had thyroid cancer but her resolve to fight and survive for her son’s sake helped her recover soon. “After being detected with cancer, I told myself that the human spirit was too strong to be broken. With this belief, I focused on recovering and subsequently, was able to defeat cancer,” she said. Bishnupriya wants to make her son a better human being. 

Expressing gratitude for being given a chance to participate in the fashion show, she said, “I thank the organisers for giving cancer survivors an opportunity to walk on the ramp in front of such a huge crowd. This initiative would definitely instil hope and belief in cancer patients that the disease is curable and they could also defeat it.”

Similarly, Rajeshwari Bhuyan was doing a fine job in the Odia television industry when she was diagnosed with lung cancer in April 2019. “Doctors told me that I had lung cancer and it had spread to my brain. Being the daughter of martial artist Dillip Bhuyan, I decided to confront cancer and fight it,” she said.

Rajeshwari is optimistic about her life, her mantra is to live life to the fullest. “I really don't know what my future holds for me and it hardly matters. It doesn’t matter how many years we live. What’s important is how we enjoy every moment of our life,” she adds.

Other cancer survivors who set the ramp on fire were Dr JM Rao, a leading laparoscopic and general surgeon of Odisha, Bhawani Pani, an aluminium metallurgist, PK Tripathy, former judge of Odisha High Court and Bijaylaxmi Kar, MD, Aarti Finance and Investment Company, a social worker and cancer survivor. 

Thanking the cancer survivors for supporting the cause, founder of Parichay Foundation Rosalin Patsani Mishra said their fighting spirit is an inspiration to all.

She further said, “The event is close to my heart since it was organised for a noble cause. We have already adopted three batches of over 60 drop-out schoolgirls who have appeared their matriculation examination under NIOS. I am happy to say that their results are very encouraging. We want to ensure that these girls complete their education and also get jobs in the future with our help.”

Ollywood playback singers Debashish Mohapatra and Amrita Bharati Panda also performed at the event and enthralled the audience with their performance.