Koneru Humpy will also inaugurate the Healing through Art Corridor
Vijayawada, 30th April, 2022: Chess Grandmaster Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee Koneru Humpy, will be doing the honors of unveiling the T-shirt for the WHITATHON Walk organized by the Kode Venkatadri Chowdary Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Vijayawada. The T-shirt unveiling event will be held at the Institute on 1st May from 10:00 – 11:00 am.
Whitathon is L V Prasad Eye Institute’s annual cause-related event focusing on raising awareness and funds for early diagnosis and treatment of Retinoblastoma – a Life and Vision-threatening Eye Cancer in Children. It is for the first time that LVPEI is organizing Whitathon in Vijayawada.
One of the most common symptoms of Retinoblastoma is White Reflex (white glow) in a child’s eye. Through this walk, LVPEI aims to raise awareness among the public that if they spot a ‘White Reflex’ in a child’s eye, it could be a sign of eye cancer that needs immediate medical intervention. Hence, the event is named ‘Whitathon’. The funds raised through the walk will help the Institute to provide free treatment to children from underprivileged families who have retinoblastoma.
The WHITATHON WALK will be organized on 15 May 2022, Sunday. The walk will start from LVPEI’s campus at Tadigadapa in Vijaywada and cover a distance of 5 kilometers. The registrations are open to the public and they can register for the walk by clicking on this link: https://pages.razorpay.com/pl_JFbDPHFA1Ph6aD/view
Dr Anasua Ganguly Kapoor, Head - Hima Bindu Yalamanchili Centre for Eye Cancer and the Campus Head - Kode Venkatadri Chowdary Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute said, 'We extend our sincere thanks to Koneru Humpy for being the Guest of Honour for the Whitathon T-shirt unveiling. We are sure with her support we will be able to make this event a great success and together ensure that - No child dies of eye cancer because of lack of awareness and treatment. We also acknowledge the support extended by Dr Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Foundation and the participation of the students in the walk'.
Dr Kapoor further added that it is time to make detailed eye check-ups a part of mandatory paediatric examinations. Parents and physicians should be educated about symptoms that could otherwise be easily dismissed as an infection. There is a need for increased awareness about this life-threatening disease among parents and the community at large.
Along with the Whitathon T-shirt, Koneru Humpy also inaugurated the 'Healing through Art Corridor' at the Hima Bindu Yalamanchili Centre for Eye Cancer at LVPEI Vijayawada. The corridor has a display of various forms of artwork on the theme of Retinoblastoma and the aim is to promote emotional and physical healing of retinoblastoma children through art therapy. The paintings displayed are from artists across the globe who had participated in a cause-related art event 'Retinoblastoma: An Artistic expression' organized by LVPEI Vijayawada last year. The artworks display varied emotions that children with retinoblastoma and their families go through right from diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
Need to raise awareness about Retinoblastoma:
- Retinoblastoma (eye cancer) most commonly affects children below 3 years of age (90%)
- 20 to 25% of cases of eye cancer worldwide in children are from India, and 50% of cases worldwide lose their lives due to late detection and inadequate treatment
- Retinoblastoma is curable if the tumour is detected and treated early; thus saving the life, eye, and vision of the child
- Over the past decade, LVPEI has treated more than 2000 patients with retinoblastoma eye cancer
- Though it was possible to save the life of the child in 90% of the cases, the eyesight of the child could be saved in only 45% of the cases, the reason being late presentation of the case
Hence, it is important to raise awareness about the common symptoms of retinoblastoma in children and educate the public (specially young parents) on the importance of seeking timely medical care
Need to raise funds:
- Retinoblastoma treatment is expensive and long in duration
- Over 60 to 65% of patient families cannot afford the expense of the treatment
- Thanks to the funds received from such cause-related events and donations, LVPEI is able to provide free treatment to children from underprivileged families
About Hima Bindu Yalamanchili Centre for Eye Cancer: The Hima Bindu Yalamanchili Centre for Eye Cancer at LVPEI’s Kode Venkatadri Chowdary Campus is the first dedicated eye cancer facility in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The focus is on patient care, rehabilitation, education, research, and innovation. The entire spectrum of eye cancer cases across all age groups are treated at the centre with the most updated treatment protocols to achieve the best possible outcomes. The treatment options available are - different types of chemotherapy (eyedrop, intravenous, intraocular), minimally invasive orbital surgery, tumour debulking or removal surgeries, different focal therapies (like diode laser, transpupillary thermotherapy, ND-Yag laser, freezing cryotherapy).
About LVPEI: Established in 1987, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness, is a comprehensive eye health facility. The Institute has ten functional arms to its areas of operations: Clinical Services, Education, Research, Vision Rehabilitation, Rural and Community Eye Health, Eye Banking, Advocacy and Policy Planning, Capacity Building, Innovation and Product Development. The LVPEI Eye Care Network has 262 Centres spread across the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka in India. The institute's mission is to provide equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society. The LVPEI’s five-tier ‘Eye Health Pyramid’ model covering all sections of society right from the villages to the city, provides high quality and comprehensive - prevention, curative and rehabilitation – eye care to all. It has served over 32.11 million (3 crore 21 lakh people), with more than 50% of them entirely free of cost, irrespective of the complexity of care needed.