− The auction included merchandise and artworks donated by Smt. Maneka Gandhi and Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, among others
− Twitter campaign #TriumphOverCancer trended nationally with over 3100 tweets
Max India Foundation, in the spirit of Breast & Liver Cancer awareness month, raised Rs. 7million for the treatment of underprivileged cancer patients in India. Max India Foundation along with its partners and friends, gathered to celebrate life and “Triumph over Cancer” in its signature event ‘Celebrate Me’ in the form of a fund raiser this year. “Celebrate Me” was an attempt to raise awareness and funds for needy cancer patients through donations, partnerships and auction of paintings which included those by Francis Newton Souza, Dilip Shyam, Nilanjan Chakravarty & others. Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, a cancer survivor himself donated his jersey and cap for the auction.
The Twitter campaign #TriumphOverCancer around the event was trending nationwide, generating a total of about 3136 tweets focused on the event. The digital outreach alone helped in raising over Rs. 1 lakh as Max Group had promised to contribute Rs. 50 for every tweet.
17 brave women and four young children who fought their battles and triumphed over cancer proudly walked the ramp in Reva Kumar and Nidhi Agarwal outfits and Goenka Fine Jewellery, the designers who have themselves seen cancer from close quarters. These brave hearts along with the doctors who helped them during their journey against cancer were felicitated by the Chief Guest, Smt. Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women & Child Development, Government of India. Other highlights of the event included a Kathak performance by Namrrta Raai and live performance by ‘Folka Dots’. The event also featured a panel discussion of top oncologists from Max Healthcare on “Ground Realities”.
Smt. Maneka Gandhi, in her speech said, “The government is spending atleast five times the money on cancer healthcare due to smoking, compared to the revenue generated in taxes”.
The minister suggested that government should mandate every tobbacco company to set up a cancer hospital to take care of the patients and enclose coupons in every cigarette pack for the smoker, offering a free check-up at one of these hospitals after a consumption of 100 packets of cigarette.
Mrs. Mohini Daljeet Singh, Head, Max India Foundation said, “At Max India Foundation, we believe in ‘Care for Life’. Early diagnosis of cancer leads to positive outcomes and complete treatment. Regular screening is therefore very important. Most of public healthcare expense should be on prevention and awareness as treatment is very expensive and beyond the reach of most people. It is our objective to create awareness around cancer and inspire patients to win over this disease”.
“MIF has supported over 2,050 cancer patients till date and we will continue our efforts in order to change the life of underprivileged cancer patients in India”, she added.
The Hans Foundation joined as a major partner to facilitate treatment of needy children with cancer in Uttarakhand. Other partners included Shahnaz Husain Group, Grameen Sneh Foundation, Forest Essentials, Kama Ayurveda, Bahrisons, Richfeel, Archies, Pick-a-Bow and WholeFoods.
