GUWAHATI, April 20 - With an aim to spread awareness about cancer, three bikers have geared up for hiking to sixteen thousand feet at Bum La Pass, near the Indo-China border based in Arunachal Pradesh, in a span of ten days.
The 600-kilometre ride will be flagged off from the B Boruah Cancer Institute (BBCI) campus at 10 am tomorrow.
�My traumatic experience with cancer has left me strengthened in soul and spirit,� says Marcellna Sangma, the lead biker in this mission.
�I can be of immense help to people even if I raise awareness (to start with) among people suffering from cancer... talking about how to stride without losing the fighting spirit,� she adds.
From 5,404 in 2001-2002, the number of cancer cases shot up to 8,708 in 2011-12, according to a study conducted by the BBCI.
Sangma herself had been a victim of cancer that had turned her life topsy-turvy more than a decade ago. As a survivor, today she is determined to bring her story to as many people as possible in this part of the country in the belief that it will enable people with cancer to fight back better.
The operation Sangma underwent in 2000 left her with a huge dent on her body, resulting in facial palsy.
�The normal tendency of a girl is to look beautiful, and this is sure to leave one depressed,� she wrote on her website. �But it could not break my spirit and I am quite happy to get a second chance to live my life for others. I feel quite normal and I am in no way inferior to others.�
Sangma today is a mother of a beautiful child and wife of a loving and supporting husband at home. To everybody else, she is a fighter, survivor and a promising entrepreneur in the field of information technology.
Joined by marathoner Jitin Pavithran and campaigner Vaibhav Prasad Desai from Mumbai, Sangma�s team of bikers will interact with local people and government officials and with whoever feels concerned.
