These students give cancer-afflicted children support to bounce back

BENGALURU: Mahika Khosla was just 10 years old when life turned bitter for her. Diagnosed with one of the rarest forms of soft tissue cancer in the world, Mahika went through many painful moments at a young age, only to bounce back not just cured, but enlightened enough to help others too. The lesson she learnt: Non-medical intervention is most vital for cancer patients to fight the trauma.
When Mahika underwent treatment for Synovial Sarcoma ­­ a cancer that usually affects the joints of the arm, neck or leg­­ in Canada, her teachers made sure that she got all the study material.Her days at the hospital were never depressing, thanks to the volunteers at the hospital who engaged her in creative activities every day. These experiences made Mahika, now a class 11 student of Mallya Aditi International School, a stronger person who's spearheading initiatives for children with cancer.
“After I returned from my treatment seven years ago I, along with my mother, began volunteering at Samiksha Foundation. Knowing the importance of non-medical support during treatment, we wanted to do something for cancer patients,” Mahika told TOI.
On Saturday, Mahika, along with her friends, organized a basketball and football tournament at the school campus to raise funds for the education of cancer patients. As part of their initiative--Bounce Back--the team of six will contribute all the proceedings to Samiksha Foundation which provides primary and secondary education to children undergoing treatment at Kidwai Memorial Hospital. The team includes Leah Johnson, Adi Rishab Dugar, Arushi Bhandari, Aastha Vartak and Tanvi Amba.
“It was only when we volunteered at the hospital did we understand what Mahika was talking about. The children need attention not just in terms of medicine but to remain happy and optimistic,” said Arushi.
From designing posters to handling the finances, the group managed to make the event a success, raising over Rs 5 lakh. The tournament roped in 224 players from across the city as well as 18 volunteers trained by the team and also collaborated with their inter-school initiative Reach Out. The winners got shoes while the runners-up bagged watches. In all, 16 teams registered in both categories paying a fee of Rs 1,100 (for basketball) and Rs 1,500 (for football) each. Besides, donations were also raised from corporates. “It's been an extremely rewarding experience but at the same time very challenging too. This is the first time we experienced organizing an event of such scale. While we roped in many corporates, we had to handle a lot of rejections. Now that we know most of it, next year we will do better,” Leah Johnson said.
When asked why they chose a basketball tournament, Mahika said: “I was told that my hand would have to be amputated. But doctors in Canada saved my hand because of which I have been able to play basketball for years. Through the years we've met and interacted with many people who equally love the sport. Through Bounce Back, we want to use this very love for sport to empower children with cancer.”
Mahika added that though the initiative will enhance the process of providing non-medical support to kids, still a lot more has to be done to spread awareness.
“Unlike in India, providing non-medical support to patients is very common in Canada. Here, very few do it and it's absolutely important to know how crucial it's for the child being treated,” she said, adding that missing school for a year can be very demotivating.