Continuing its commitment and fight against Breast Cancer, Max India Foundation (MIF) culminated its month long breast cancer screening and awareness campaign with “Celebrate Me” event in Delhi. The event was organized to honor women who have survived their battle against Breast Cancer and emerged as ‘champions’ and to share their stories of tremendous determination and grit that can inspire one and many. The champions, attired in Ritu Kumar fashion wear, walked the ramp alongside doctors who helped them through the journey. Two poignant short stories, outlining the journeys of champions, as a first person account, were also showcased at the event.
The gala event featured breast cancer survivors on the ramp with hair and makeup done by Dr Blossom Kochar of Aroma Magic. The evening showcased some women-centric performances by Rekha Surya, a renowned Hindustani classical music singer and disciple of Begum Akhtar; and urban folk band Folka Dots. The famous Bharatnatyam dancer Rama Vaidya Nathan, accompanied by her daughter, choreographed and performed a beautiful dance depicting the ups and downs of life - “What is Life”. The evening was graced by Shweta Bachhan Nanda walking the ramp as the showstopper to endorse support to the survivors. Sharing her thoughts with the audience, she said, “Any kind of cancer brings a stigma with it. One must remember that cancer is a tough disease but those who fight it are tougher. Well-being is as much a part of the mind and spirit as the body. We shouldn’t just celebrate those suffering from cancer but the care-givers who are constantly there for care and support through every milestone in the journey of people championing cancer. I congratulate the women present here this evening for their indomitable spirits’. They are really heroes. With this event, the survivors or “champions “ have been infused with a great sense of confidence and self-esteem. They have bonded as a group and feel connected and supported.’
Mr Analjit Singh, Chairman Max India and Managing Trustee of the Foundation was personally present at the event along with Mr Rahul Khosla (Managing Director, Max India) and Mohit Talwar (Deputy Managing Director, Max India). Other seniors like Mr Rajesh Sud (Managing Director, Max Life Insurance) and Mr Rajit Mehta (Deputy Managing Director, Max Healthcare) were also present. Speaking at the event, Mr. Singh shared a profound narration of a young surgeon who succumbed to cancer. He said, “Persistence is the true spirit of existence. Today, as we gather here to commemorate exceptional individuals, we pay tribute to them not simply because they have conquered a malady but because they have left lessons with us on how to battle and persist against various odds that life throws at us. We all have to work mindfully to contribute to society and develop everything around us to protect ourselves from how life has become now. I hope we all spread consciousness on how to live healthy lives.”
Ms. Mohini Daljeet Singh, Chief Executive of Max India Foundation, talking about strong commitment towards the cause said, “Cancer is a leading cause of death globally. Many of these deaths can be prevented by early detection, treatment and good palliative care. Max India Foundation takes immense satisfaction in persistently providing patients across the country with support services for diagnosis and cure. We recently received funding from Australian High Commission under their Direct Aid Programme for cancer awareness activities and this support enthuses us all the more to increase the outreach of our local campaigns to educate people in preventive health measures. ‘Celebrate me’, is aimed at emboldening and equipping cancer survivors by bringing to light their encouraging experiences on a multi-stakeholder platform. It is a simple yet powerful initiative to strengthen and promote benefits arising out of regular health check-ups specifically pertaining to breast cancer.”
Mr. Gregory Harvey, a representative from the Australian High Commission at the event said, ‘The work that the Max India Foundation, to provide mobile screening camps in Delhi and Punjab, is doing is extremely significant. One of the key aspects of curing cancer is improving early and accurate detection. It increases survivor rates and also ameliorates health outcomes and quality of life of patients. We look forward to continuing and maintaining our relationship with the Foundation to continue addressing such crucial issues.’
MIF, the CSR arm of Max group, organized a month long Cancer screening and awareness campaign in Delhi NCR and across all 8 blocks of Bathinda, Punjab. The campaign, which commenced on 23rd February, 2015, reached out to over 500 women through 13 camps in the 2 states. Free-of-cost screening for detection of cancers of breast, cervix and oral cavity was provided at these camps. Awareness on cancer prevention and cure were integrated with these camps on a large scale. The various IEC activities to generate awareness among the communities included street plays, talks by expert doctors, screening of movie, pamphlets etc.
About Max India Foundation
Max India Foundation (MIF), founded in 2008, is the social service arm of Max India Limited. The primary areas of work are curative and preventive healthcare, health awareness for underprivileged population; and initiatives on a health oriented environment. The foundation organizes immunization camps for children and multispecialty health camps for all age groups; operates permanent health centers; supports medical and surgical treatments at Max group of hospitals and artificial limbs and calipers for the disabled; caters to nutritional needs of children; creates health awareness; and carries out disaster relief work. Guided by its vision of ‘Caring for life’, the foundation has benefitted over 1.2 million people from the underserved communities in 22 states across the country in partnership with more than 400 NGOs.
Max India Foundation has been awarded the Golden Peacock Global CSR Award in 2011 and Golden Peacock Award for CSR 2012, The BSE 6TH Social And Corporate Governance Awards – 2010, 5th and 7th INDY‟S Stars of the Industry Awards 2011 for Best CSR, and Blue Dart Award for CSR on World CSR Day in 2012 and 2013, for the significant impact the Foundation has made to the lives of the needy in the last five years.
Photo Caption:
Shweta Bachhan Nanda walks the ramp to endorse support to breast cancer survivors at Celebrate Me, an event by Max India Foundation, in Delhi
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