Date:23/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/23/stories/2008092353400200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

The scent of hope fills Rose Day

Staff Reporter

Jyothika and Suriya visit the children at Apollo Speciality Hospitals in Chennai

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Spreading joy: Celebrity couple Jyothika and Suriya interact with children at the Apollo Speciality Hospitals to commemorate Rose Day on Sunday.

CHENNAI: With shy smiles, the paediatric patients undergoing treatment for cancer, gathered around celebrity couple Jyothika and Suriya who gave them presents to commemorate Rose Day at the Apollo Speciality Hospitals on Sunday. The children also put up a small cultural show for the guests.

Jyothika, casually dressed in a chic black kurta and jeans, said that the day was a fun-filled one. “I learnt a lot of dance steps from you,” she told the children. Suriya wished the patients a speedy recovery and showed his appreciation for their courage in battling the illness.

Revathi Raj, paediatric haematologist, said that the occasion helped parents of children who had completed treatment and those undergoing treatment to interact and support each other. About 10,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in the country every year. In Chennai, Apollo registers 250 new cases. Dr. Raj said that 75 per cent of leukaemia patients can be cured and 90 per cent of those with lymphoma can be cured with treatment. Children who may have had to miss school during chemotherapy quickly catch up with lessons, she said. M. Revathy, an 18-year-old, diagnosed with cancer about two years ago passed her Higher Secondary examinations earlier this year.

The daughter of an autorickshaw driver, Ms. Revathy wrote to various charitable institutions to help with treatment costs. The illness has given her the courage to face any challenge that comes her way. “One has to deal with it and go on,” she said.