organisation has been bringing holistic food and nutrition to underprivileged children fighting cancer since 2011 through a nationwide network of collaborations with hospitals and nutritionists.
Did you know that in India, every year, around 50,000 children are diagnosed with cancer, and because of the disparity in income and wealth across the country, only about 22 percent make it to hospitals for treatment?
What is even more tragic is that at the time of diagnosis, most of these children are found to be malnourished.
This brings us to a very grave and pertinent question—is medical intervention and chemotherapy alone enough to treat cancer?
The same way that plants need sunlight to grow and survive, proper nutrition is essential for the good health and well-being of human beings. It becomes even more crucial when they are unwell, especially in the case of children, as the medication and treatment depletes their small bodies of essential nutrients and compromises their immune system’s ability to fight the disease.
Today, the organisation, which is a 100 percent women-run establishment, has branched out to 13 cities across India with 22 hospitals on board as their partners to the cause. Each of these hospitals has assigned nutritionists, who interact with the kids and their parents to understand and assess the level of malnutrition and the kind of cancer.
Sadly, nutrition takes an unintentional backseat for parents from low-income backgrounds, who end up spending most of their savings on the treatment. It is also important to remember that as much as cancer is tough on the person who is suffering, it is equally devastating and draining for parents and caregivers, who often ignore their health in the process.
While there are government institutions as well as NGOs that provide medical care and monetary support for those who can’t afford it, even these organisations fail to give nutrition the attention it desperately requires.
From providing fresh, nutritionally balanced, calorie-appropriate hot meals to every child visiting the hospital for treatment to giving monthly ration supplies to a family of 3 for a year to reduce treatment dropout, Cuddles is silently bringing forth a revolutionary model for cancer care, that organisations across the country could definitely learn from and implement in their framework.
Here’s the entire post about the inspiring NGO who helped People Fighting with Cancer Especially Childrens!