Ishrat Jahan Jyoti had a blood test at 10am and a performance an hour and a half later. The 13-year-old, suffering from leukaemia, changed into her costume and danced with fellow patients at Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre & Research Institute, Thakurpukur, on Thursday.
Jayanta Saha, 68, had to give up singing after being diagnosed with throat cancer in 2012. He resumed singing a year back and sang a Rabindrasangeet on Thursday at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital in Howrah.
Several hospitals in the city organised cancer survivors' meet to mark World Cancer Day, where individuals shared their experiences to drive home the message that cancer was curable if detected early and properly treated.
"I had difficulty walking but now I can dance," said Ishrat, a Class VIII student, at the Thakurpukur hospital.
Ten-year-old Anjali Roy dances Bhartanatyam with her right leg as the left leg had to be amputated after a tumour was detected in the knee.
"She was always interested in dancing and was not ready to give up. Her teacher trains her to dance with one leg. She uses the artificial leg only to walk," said Anjali's mother Rita.
The stories helped the patients and their parents to draw inspiration and support from each other.
Doctors said different survivor groups help patients develop a camaraderie and share their experiences to overcome psychological trauma.
The Thakurpukur hospital has a laryngectomy club for people who have had their larynx operated, a breast cancer survivor group and a paediatric survivor group.
"We organise regular meet of survivors, where they share their experiences," said Arnab Gupta, director, Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre & Research Institute.
At Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Manju Pal Chowdhury said she had gone back to normal life three years after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
"I had felt a lump and went to a doctor. Thanks to the decision, the cancer was detected at an early stage. Now I can do all work," the 61-year-old Howrah resident said.
The Howrah hospital launched the cancer support cell that will organise financial help for patients from poor families.
Jyotirup Goswami, a radiation oncology consultant at the hospital, said part of the psychological trauma of the patients was because of the cost of the treatment.
"A person with a decent job will feel the burden if he has to pay for the treatment from his pocket. The support we lend is not dependent on the income alone but the genuineness of the case. Government funding is available, too. But those avenues remain untapped because people don't know about them," Goswami said.
