I R IDIOT

Few years ago, we used to watch a cartoon I AM WEASEL on the Cartoon Network. It was a story of a smart weasel and an idiot baboon. The baboon, apparently, weak in his grammar skills, never managed to get any sentence right….While introducing himself, he always used to say, “I R BABOON”. What a stupid fella!

You know what, just like this so-called stupid baboon, we label so many kids as stupid too. Every kid, today, invariably gets suffocated under the burden of expectations that his parents place on him. Good marks in school, best at sports, that’s what each parent wants to hear. No one is willing to accept that our child can be just plain ordinary.

Now, how many of us, what’s DYSLEXIA is all about. It’s a common curable problem. I am sorry, I must say “a common manageable problem”. But, alas, very misunderstood and people are not aware at all. Parents as well as teachers at school, so conveniently dub the kids as “duffers” , when the kids are below average in their day-to-day school work.

Dyslexia is a very normal problem. It’s a learning disability that specifically manifests in form of difficulty in writing, as well as reading and spelling.

Children suffering from this disorder, normally get confused between the letters b,d,p,q and mix them up. Sometimes, the letters are written backwards, or upside down or like mirror images. However, dyslexia is not a visual problem at all. Sometimes, they have difficulty in understanding arithmetic, there is left-right confusion, poor short-term memory, problem in processing a lot of information together etc..

But, that’s alright. A little patience with these kids, and they can be the best at anything they hope to be. They are as normal as you and me and just as sane. Language therapy and working on their writing abilities can help do wonders.

Did you know, great personalities like Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Thomas Alva Edison, all were dyslexic. So are, Abhishek Bacchhan, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Tom Cruise…

And, well, Agatha Christie, the great writer herself was a dyslexic.

I recommend, you watch, the Bollywood movie, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. It’s an excellent film dealing with an 8 year old dyslexic kid and how he overcomes his disability and depression to pursue his passion of painting!

Brilliant portray of emotions and an amazing movie of competent and commendable actors.

It’s a film with a message. An universal message, that “Every child is special”.

As, Aamir Khan, says in the movie, Dyslexia is just a problem with the wiring in the brain. That’s it. Nothing else.

Every kid, every child, every little bud that’s about to flower, deserves the best in Life…..deserves a life worth living.

AND, I R NO IDIOT

You and me, all of us are SPECIAL…

This “C” is NOT COOL

Have you ever seen a crab on the seashore. You’ll get amazed with the intensity with which it binds itself to what it holds dear. If you try catching it, it will use it’s claws as self-defence and hurt you so much that you start bleeding. And next time, you know you won’t cross it’s path.

Now it’s so easy in terms of this reptile. But can you say the same about the disease???

Some people spend a lifetime in smoking, drinking and indulging in all sorts of things they shouldn’t be doing often BUT STILL live a long and satisfying life.

And there are people who think good, act good and live good BUT STILL suffer beyond imagination.

CANCER, it’s such an unpredictable disease. It can strike anyone, anytime. Just when you feel that your life is perfect, your world may come crashing down with a single diagnosis.

The pain of the disease and the un-tolerable side effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation can leave a person both physically and mentally tired. In severe cases, the prediction that your life can end within 3-6 month, itself is so scary that a person may die of this idea itself.

Have you ever known how it feels when you see a person you love suffering and there’s nothing you can do about it…. Ever experienced the crippling sensation you can have to see the one’s you love die in front of you and you are helpless about it.

Cancer kills not only the person but also the family.

Anybody who hasn’t gone through the suffering will never know what it really is.

What can YOU do?

If you are diagnosed with cancer tomorrow,what will your reaction be? You might have been a very courageous person all your life but the idea of death is known to put fear in the hearts of even the mightiest ones.

And if some near and dear one is in that place? The realization of someone going from your life forever can be so terrifying.

The only thing that remains in our hands is to, ACCEPT THE REALITY.

If you are a religious person, you can have faith in God and pray for giving you the strength to cope up with the tragedy.

Even if you are not a religious person, you can learn from life. Learn how things just happen and all you can do is accept them as they are and play your part. Grieve because the situation demands and in the end be happy because that’s how you should be.

In the end, happiness does conquer over sorrow but what to do? This “C” is NOT COOL.

RETINOBLASTOMA

(picture, source: http://www.kellog.umich.edu)

When I took up RETINOBLASTOMA as a topic for my report at college, I was very excited. For a long time, I wanted to actually study the disease and know all about it.

BUT what surprised me is the strange look on my classmates faces when I told them of my choice. Masters in science students didn’t know what “Retinoblastoma” was. Most of them didn’t even know that the disease could be related to the “eye”. It was really shameful.

For those who don’t know, Retinoblastoma is a tumor of the retina (a delicate multi-layered lining of the inner eyeball). It mostly affects children less than 5 years of age. It starts with the appearance of white blotches in the eye (leukocoria) and can affect one or both the eyes. Most of the times the treatment is Enucleation, which means surgical removal of the eye.

What makes RETINOBLASTOMA a deadly disease is the fact that there is so less awareness about it. It is comparatively very rare than other cancers but it is a very cruelly crippling disease for the children. It can spread or metastasize outside of the eye to the brain, the spinal cord and even the bones.

If detected early, the treatment can be directed towards vision preservation. These days Chemotherapy, EBRT (external beam radiation therapy), Thermotherapy, Cryotherapy are being successfully used as the various treatment modalities.

EYES are the most beautiful organ that an human being can possess. They not only see but even talk, feel and do things that most of the organs can’t.

If masters students are unaware about the disease, how can you expect normal people to be aware of it???

Children are the future of every country. As responsible adults, it’s our duty that they are provided with a normal and healthy life. Their eyes need to learn and appreciate the nature’s beauty. They must be able to build a secure tomorrow for the betterment of the world.

It’s necessary that people know about retinoblastoma and it’s possible consequences.

It’s a request to all. If your child or anyone you know is suffering from the disease, or you are just curious, please spread the awareness.

Today there are so many sites on the internet that with just one click of the button you may get all the information that you need.

I know, for me, EYES are very important. Now, you think, how a young child of five will feel if he loses his eyes owing to retinoblastoma so early in his life.

For all the patients and their families, “Some people do care and God is with you always….”