Several leaders including Sushma Swaraj pledge support to the cancer victims

Come June 1 and cancer victims will take their battle against tobacco to the President's office. Two cancer-affected patients along with their surgeon will meet the President with a plea to ban tobacco. 34-year-old Sachin Goel and Rahul Bhardwaj (35) are among eight other victims who, under the umbrella of "Voice of Victims"(VOV) will share their woes with the President and request her to change laws regarding the sale of tobacco in the country.


Fighting the good fight: Sachin Goel feels the revenue generated by
tobacco products are not as important as lives.

Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital, who is spearheading the VOV campaign, said, "Many leaders including the leader of opposition, Sushma Swaraj, have pledged their support to the victims' movement. Patients, with their wives and children will be allowed to meet the president and present their story to her."
Dr Chaturvedi will also represent the country in a United Nations meeting to be held in New York regarding this issue.

Victims speak
Sachin Goel said, "I started eating 'pan masala' when I was in college and although I have undergone treatment, the problem still persists. My kids have seen me going through this medical and emotional trauma. I want to request the president to ban tobacco as the revenue that tobacco products may generate is way less than the lives of citizens." Rahul Bharadwaj said, "I was diagnosed with cancer on my wife's birthday. What followed was an ordeal and even today I am on radiation therapy. I had to stop working and my family suffered a lot. The only solution to the problem is banning tobacco."