Thiruvananthapuram: Watching your dear ones fight cancer can be an ordeal in itself. And witnessing both your parents fall prey to the disease can be life-shattering. But Malayalam actress Manju Warrier, who overcame the nightmare, has urged young minds to spread the message that it is indeed possible to overcome cancer.
Sharing her personal experiences during the third edition of KeralaCan, an initiative by Manorama News, the actress said: "When my mother's hair started to fall, my father and I actually understood what the horror is. But we did not express it fearing it would dishearten my Amma. That night, we held each other's hands and promised ourselves that we are going to fight back cancer, no matter what.
"It's been 17 years since then, and my Amma is very active and energetic. She practices Thiruvathira regularly. We even stayed strong when my father was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. In case I too get cancer in future (let us hope not) we will not be depressed because all these experiences have given me the confidence to be strong and fight it," said Manju.
The talented actress, who is the ambassador of the campaign against cancer, reminded the audience that the misconceptions about cancer was much more dreadful than the disease itself.
"Be the ray of hope in the fight against cancer," she said.
Other eminent personalities including C.V. Prasant, resident medical officer at the Regional Cancer Center in Thiruvananathapuram, who handled a session for students. He warned them that alcohol and smoking could cause cancer. Magician Gopinath Muthukad used a few magic tricks to tell children of the various ways to stay away from cancer.
The awareness camp was held at St. Mary's Higher Secondary School, Pattom.