The Rotary Club of Coimbatore Meridian, RID 3206, in partnership with the Ramakrishna Hospital, Coimbatore, has launched Project Blossom to support patients battling bone sarcoma, a rare cancer that makes up less than one per cent of all cancers, and typically affects people in the age group 10–30. “Bone sarcomas usually arise in the long bones of the arms and legs, especially the thigh bone, shin and upper arm bones,” explained the club’s charter president R Thamilselvan.
In the 1950s amputation was often the only treatment option. Today medical advancements offer limb salvage surgery, where the affected part of the bone is removed and replaced with a custom-made titanium implant through an endoprosthesis procedure, said Dr P Guhan, director, Ramakrishna Institute of Oncology and Research. Chemotherapy further helps preserve the limb, and in growing children, an expandable prosthesis ensures the limb continues to lengthen normally. However, the cost remains a major barrier. The prosthetic implant costs around 2.5 lakh, and chemotherapy and radiation add another2 lakh.
Due to financial constraints many patients from economically weak families forgo prosthesis after surgery, resigning themselves to permanent disability. “We want to help these young people live full lives,” said Thamilselvan. The club has earmarked ₹25 lakh this year to fund limb salvage surgeries for 10 patients, and has also applied for a global grant to help more people. The initiative is supported by Attitude Trust, an NGO where Thamilselvan is a trustee, and Cordon Bleu Properties. Dr Guhan, who has personally sponsored treatment for 20 patients, has agreed to waive hospital charges and doctors’ fees for patients referred by the club.
Even before the project was launched, the club had already funded treatment for two young patients. The club’s association with the Ramakrishna Hospital dates to 2021 when it helped establish a hospice and palliative care centre for terminally ill patients. “At Meridian, we believe there is life beyond cancer and for those at the end of life, our aim is to keep them pain-free and comfortable,” he said.
Thamilselvan invites other Rotary clubs to join hands with Project Blossom. “Clubs can contribute for the cause, help us with CSR grants. Rotarians can also refer patients needing limb salvage surgery, and we will take care of them at the Ramakrishna Hospital,” he said.