In this special guest blog, Macmillan Quality and Evaluation Officer Abi tells us about her sabbatical in India, where she volunteered with a cancer support charity.
I look back on last year as one of the most special times of my life. After 7 years of working at Macmillan in the Cancer Information Development team, I was given the opportunity to take five months’ unpaid leave to fulfil a personal ambition of mine – to travel through India and volunteer at a cancer charity there. Thank you Macmillan!
Volunteering in Mumbai
Cancer incidence in India is actually far lower than in other developed nations. However, the outlook for patients is worse, with only 30% of Indian cancer patients surviving for over 5 years after diagnosis. The Jeet Association for Support to Cancer Patients (JASCAP) is a cancer charity based in Mumbai. For several years, JASCAP has had permission to translate Macmillan's cancer information resources into Indian languages and distribute these throughout India. That’s because JASCAP and Macmillan share the same mission – to reach and improve the lives of people affected by cancer.
I volunteered with JASCAP for 2 months. I spent most days at the JASCAP office doing similar tasks to those I would normally do in my role at Macmillan – writing easy-to-understand information booklets about cancer, based on the latest research and guidance, which would then be translated into other languages.
These were my lovely colleagues at JASCAP who became my close friends over the two months I lived in Mumbai. I am still in touch with them - updating them on my poor attempts at Indian cooking since returning home!
Cancer care and beliefs in India
Having worked in cancer information in the UK for many years, I noticed lots of differences in India. The cancer treatments delivered at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai were the same as those in the UK – chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgical procedures and stem cell transplants. What was different was the number of patients, the space available, access to equipment and machinery, and the levels of cancer awareness among patients.
My impression was that in India, cancer seemed to carry a stigma. Some people would not say the word ‘cancer’. Some people who were told they had cancer chose not to accept it, and refuse treatment. Because people don’t talk openly about cancer, there are lots of myths and misunderstandings. Organisations like JASCAP are working hard to overcome some of these barriers and improve cancer awareness.
Despite the challenges faced by patients and hospitals in India, I rarely saw anyone suffering on their own. Most people had brought their whole family with them. It made the hospital very busy, but it seemed like cancer was a family affair, not a private one. Everyone is involved, from delivering the diagnosis to making treatment decisions.
Discovering Indian culture and spirit
After two months in Mumbai, I set off travelling around the country. In the north, the beauty of the mountains and the River Ganges took my breath away. In the south, I saw the ancient ruins of Tamil Nadu and enjoyed the fresh air of Kerela. I also visited Varanasi, the ‘spiritual capital of India’, famous for its ghats and funeral rites. I’ve never been so surrounded by religion as in India. You see and feel it everywhere you go. It seemed embedded in almost every aspect of life.
After seeing so much, it’s hard to believe this is all one country. Except that, wherever you go, you will see the same compassion, generosity and love for humanity. I think you will know you are in India when after knowing someone for 2 weeks, you are welcomed into their family, or when you see people living on the streets in Mumbai, sharing their food and chai with office workers left stranded by the monsoon.
Returning home
I think that travelling to India has opened my mind and given me a wider understanding of other cultures and beliefs. I also feel inspired by the kindness I saw strangers give each other in India, and by the dedication of the people I worked with at JASCAP. I learned how important faith and spirituality is to many people, and how inseparable it can be from life’s challenges and decisions.
JASCAP and Macmillan continue to work together to provide high-quality cancer information for people in India. You can read more about them at jascap.org
In the UK, Macmillan produces fact sheets in many other languages, including Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi and Urdu. I hope my trip will help me to produce more engaging and relevant publications for our Indian population in the UK. Visit macmillan.org.uk/translations
Will I go back to India? Yes!! I can’t wait to plan another trip 
More information on things mentioned in the blog
We have a Religion, spirituality and faith group on our Online Community for people to share thoughts about these topics, and prayers. We also have easy read material on spirituality at the end of life.
Our support line also has a translation service. Call 0808 808 00 00 and say, in English, the language you wish to speak. The support line is open 9am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.
Our translated cancer information is available free, here.
The source for statistics on patient outlooks in India is available here.
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