World No Tobacco Day was today observed at Aster Medcity by celebrating the victories of cancer survivors over tobacco. The Aster Centre of Excellence in Oncology in association with Canserve & Dr Moopen’s Foundation, hosted a 3-hour interactive session ‘Cancer Survivors’ Benefit – World No Tobacco Day’ to create awareness on the dangers of tobacco, tobacco-related cancers and ways to quit tobacco. Many cancer survivors shared stories of their fight against the dreaded disease.
Speaking at the function to facilitate the cancer survivors, Mr. Hibi Eden, MLA said” to cure cancer there are modern treatment methods available; but to prevent it has become more important. We have to bring a wide awareness about the need to totally eliminate the use of all intoxicating materials including tobacco from the society . Unlike in the past, the new media could help bring about this awareness today”.
Participating in the discussion Dr T R John , Consultant Psychiatrist of Aster Medcity observed “ People with depression are more likely to smoke. They may also find it harder to quit smoking than those who are not depressed. Studies have also reported that those who never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime but lived with or worked around smokers were more likely to have major depression than non-smokers not exposed to second hand smoke So if you have depression, smoking or exposure to second hand smoke will make your symptoms worse. Likewise, if you’re a smoker, an increased risk of depression is one more reason you should try to stop smoking and avoid second hand smoke exposure”
Speaking on the occasion, Santy Sajan, COO, Aster Medcity said, “Today, we are proud to felicitate these champions who have won the battle against tobacco addiction by quitting the habit for good and overcoming their cancer. Recent advances in medical science and technology enable us to treat tobacco-related cancers very effectively, especially if detected early. And the patient can get back to being a productive member of the family and society.”
The three hour interactive session saw four Cancer Survivor champions, Mr. Sabeer T A, Mr. Daniel C J, Mr. Asokan and Mr. Balasankaran K P felicitated by Mr. Hibi Eden, MLA. The cancer survivors spoke about their brave battle against cancer and tobacco; and as to why they chose to stay away from tobacco forever.
This was followed by an interactive discussion on the Hazards of Tobacco by a panel that included Dr. D K Vijaykumar, Surgical Oncologist, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Dr. Arun Warrier, Medical Oncologist, Aster Medcity and Dr. Jacob Baby, Pulmonologist, Aster Medcity. A talk on Nicotine Withdrawal & Deaddiction by Dr. T R John, Psychiatrist, Aster Medcity was then followed by a myth-busting questions and answers session.
Giving the Vote of Thanks, Dr. Mayuri Rajapurkar, Consultant, Head and Neck Surgery, Aster Medcity and Organising Secretary for the programme said she hoped that the programme was of benefit to both adults and adolescents who want to escape from the clutches of tobacco addiction!
