Viji Venkatesh

Team

About Me

I have been working in cancer care for almost 36 years now and have always found the need for raising funds foremost of all and fundraising the most challenging aspect of the work we do. But that doesn't stop us because it is the financial toxicity of the disease that destroys the family along with the patient.

My involvement with FOM goes back to more than two decades ago when I set it up as the Patient Support Group Arm of The Max Foundation in India. These are patients who are in life long treatment for a rare leukemia and need financial and emotional support to access and remain on treatment.

Appeal

Ensure that the disease does not come in the way of pediatric cancer patients accessing educational opportunities

Friends of Max (FOM) requests your assistance to support Project Shiksha, an ambitious initiative which aims to cover the education costs of cancer patients who are on lifelong medication for a rare leukemia. The overall goal of the project is to ensure that the disease does not come in the way of their accessing educational opportunities and they remain compliant to their treatment protocols.

This will help reduce the financial burden and psychological stress on the families of these patients who all belong to the weaker socio-economic strata of our society.

While the Indian Constitution guarantees every child between ages 6-14 years the right to free and compulsory education, there are several hurdles that come in the way of ensuring that cancer patients or children of cancer patients have access to educational opportunities. Many a time family of such patients from weaker socio-economic backgrounds who are under severe financial strain already, are forced to make a choice between their children’s education and the life of a family member.

Through Project Shiksha, FOM is taking a step towards ensuring that such patients do not have to make the difficult choice between seeking education for themselves or a family member and continuing their treatment. Through Project Shiksha FOM provides support for primary, secondary and tertiary education / vocational training for these children achieving the dual goals of ensuring compliance amongst the patients and ensuring that they have an opportunity towards a brighter future.

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