About 10 lakh Indians get cancer every year and around five lakh Indians succumb to it each year. For one of the world's youngest nations, this is a grim scenario. Building awareness about cancer and raising funds for children battling the disease are the main objectives for the 8-hour long Cancerthon organised by NDTV and Fortis.
Salman Khan on Cancerthon: We are reel life heroes, but children fighting cancer are the real heroes as they fight the biggest villain, which is death.
Salman Khan shares his mantra for healthy living: Workout, take care of your diet, sleep, don't smoke, stay away from gutka; healthy lifestyle is a must.
Speaking to NDTV during the Cancerthon, Kajol said that cancer is not as scary as it is made out to be. I think people don't go for check-ups because they are scared and lack awareness.
Actor Ali Fazal on Cancerthon: Give up smoking; it really is harmful. I gave up smoking and anybody can.
Priya Dutt joins the Cancerthon from St Jude's, a cancer home for children in Mumbai. Speaking to NDTV during the Cancerthon, she said that no child should lose their life because of lack of funds. We need more diagnostic centers for cancer and make cancer treatment more affordable in India, she further added.
Former Miss World Diana Hayden who lost her grandmother to cancer joins our fight against campaign.
The 8-hour Cancerthon got off to a musical start with a soulful rendition of Allah ke Bande by Kailash Kher.
Actor Minissha Lamba joins the Cancerthon to show her support for the cause.
Singer Pankaj Udhas joins the fight against cancer.
The stigma that women face because they lose their hair, eyebrows, eye lashes during cancer treatment, is not something we can fathom. But I find it very inspiring the way some of the cancer victors approach life, as if they have nothing more to lose. Cancer should not be looked upon as a suspended death sentence: Richa Chadda, Actor.
Cancer can break you completely; I used it to strengthen myself. More than the body, cancer scares the mind: Manisha Koirala, actor and cancer survivor interacts with children suffering from cancer and their parents at St Jude's, a cancer home for children in Mumbai.
Composer Anu Malik joins the fight against cancer.
The problem with cancer is lack of awareness and everybody thinks that it cannot happen to me: Shahid Kapoor, Actor
Actor Arjun Kapoor lost his mother to cancer. He shared his experience on the Cancerthon: There aren't enough doctors and support systems. My mother couldn't cope with the exhaustion though she had the facilities and will to live.
Emraan Hashmi joined the Cancerthon on phone to share his experience with cancer. His son successfully fought a rare kind of kidney cancer. Emraan's son is now one year cancer free and he is taken for regular check ups. Emraan said that chances of survival for a child in case of cancer has improved globally and that is good news.
Yuvraj Singh, cricketer and a cancer survivor, lent his support to the Cancerthon. He also shared his experience about how he discovered he had cancer and a message to those fighting cancer: If Yuvi can, you can!
