“In life, we leave a legacy to our children, we leave our footprints wherever we travel, and we leave our fingerprints on every heart we touch!” – Pat Patrick
Foundation of His Sacred Majesty (FHSM), an NGO working with the principles of emperor Ashoka, in partnership with Allcargo’s CSR arm Avashya Foundation has been helping children who have been affected with Retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is a rare type of eye cancer that can affect young children, usually under the age of 5. It is the most common primary malignant intraocular cancer in children. Though most children survive this cancer, they may lose their vision in the affected eye(s) or need to have the eye removed. If it’s picked up early, retinoblastoma can often be successfully treated. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has reported a rise in the incidence of retinoblastoma cases in several hospital-based cancer registries in India. Nearly 1,500-2,000 children are diagnosed with retinoblastoma every year in India.
The majority of these children belong to lower socio-economic strata of society and nearly 60 percent of these patients have advanced disease at presentation. It is associated with low treatment and survival rates which are due to lack of awareness, social stigma, poor access to care, high cost of treatment, lack of infrastructure, health professionals, good treatment protocols, quality drugs, diagnostics, and supportive care.
In order to overcome this problem among children, FHSM with generous support from Allcargo’s CSR arm Avashya Foundation has been providing treatment for children under reputed institutions such as L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad.
FHSM facilitates the beneficiaries in assisting them with proper treatment, accommodation guidance during the treatment, monitoring the medicines provided, coordinating with doctors for chemotherapy, and treatment follow-up, for the beneficiaries. FHSM has been working tirelessly to mitigate the suffering and financial woes of these children. Last year we have reached out to more than 400 more beneficiaries, and for the financial year 2022-2023, we have a target of supporting at least 500 children affected by Retinoblastoma.
