Guwahati: “Never let cancer depress or discourage you. A strong will to survive definitely helps in fighting the disease,” said Marcellna Sangma, a cancer survivor, who had braved the disease more than a decade ago.
Marcellna set out for a 10-day bike rally from Guwahati Thursday.
“Cancer is a painful disease that not only affects a patient physically but also mentally. A patient should not undergo medical treatment half-heartedlyand focus more on recuperating and strive to live. Will power will help him overcome the disease,” Marcellna said, whose indomitable spirit helped her to defeat the disease.
The 36-year-old entrepreneur was diagnosed with a tumor in her left ear and had to undergo surgery in 2000 to get it removed, The Telegraph reported.
She has launched her own venture in the field of information technology and resides with her husband and child at Birubari here.
After successfully overcoming her ordeal, Marcellna is now on a mission to create awareness about cancer among people and also interact with patients, motivate them and continue their fight against the disease.
Marcellna, an avid biker, today set out for the rally along with two other bikers, Jitin Pavithran and Vaibhav Prasad Desai, from the city to Bum La Pass that is situated at an altitude of 16,000 feet near the Indo-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.
“I am a cancer survivor myself and I know the kind of trauma this disease involves. I want to spread awareness about among cancer patients in the region and I have chosen the bike rally to do it. Today, I, along my friends from Mumbai, Jitin Pavithran and Vaibhav Prasad Desai, began the bike rally from the Dr B. Borooah Cancer Institute here and we will cover a distance of 600km till we reach the Bum La Pass in Arunachal Pradesh,” said Marcellna.
Both Pavithran and Desai are IT professionals.
“We will travel for the next 10 days. On our way, we will halt at different places to interact with cancer patients. We will try to motivate them. A positive mindset and strong will power can help them fight the disease better. We will also interact with different government officials and locals and discuss how better treatment and help can be extended to cancer patients even in the most remote areas,” she said.