• A four-year-old with leukaemia hasn’t been home for the last five months. He is undergoing treatment for cancer.
• A 15-year-old from Bankura will have to skip the Madhyamik exam next year because the cancer treatment would require him to be stationed in the city.

Yet, the flavour of the season did not elude these young cancer warriors, and many others battling the disease.

A Christmas carnival with games, dance, song, a photo booth and a candy corner was organised for them on Monday. Adding to the festive cheer, Santa Claus went around handing out gifts to the children.

“The children who are undergoing treatment for cancer usually stay for five to six months, and the adults for one or two months. They cannot go out because of a risk of infection,” said Sudeshna Dutt, assistant general manager, Premashraya, a residential facility for those undergoing treatment at Tata Medical Center in New Town.

“The facility is located within 500 metres of the hospital. Since patients cannot go out owing to the disease and the treatment, we try to organise events for them at the residential facility,” said Dutt.

Monday’s Christmas carnival was an initiative of the Rotary Club of Calcutta Visionaries for 60 children and 100 adults.

As the 15-year-old went around playing games, he could temporarily forget the pain of not writing the board exam this year.

“He gets upset when his friends call him. I am trying to tell him that the treatment is the priority and he can take the exam next year,” his father said.

The parents, many of whom are daily wagers or farmers, have prioritised the child’s health over a livelihood. “I have to be here for my son’s treatment,” said a mason.

The carnival provided a temporary change from the rigmarole of treatment, said Vidhi Chandak, the chairperson of the cancer committee of the Rotary Club of Calcutta Visionaries

“These activities are organised to motivate them,” she said.

Chandak is a cancer survivor. “We also talk to cancer patients because that gives them the confidence that they can overcome the disease. It is not just financial support but
emotional support also that helps in the treatment,” she said.

The president of the Rotary Club of Calcutta Visionaries, Ritu Agarwal, said it’s an attempt to bring some joy to the lives of children and adults battling cancer.