Hitting Two Birds With One Stone...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQiJRwZYFiw

Odd title for a post? Yeah! But that is what Shree Bose has done. As I watched the video, I fell in love with the young and enthusiastic person over and over again. Shree Bose talked about two topics that are close to my heart. Listening to her, my admiration for her grew in leaps and bounds.  One was the topic of cancer which is matter of life and death to me, as I am a survivor of breast cancer, stage III. I would not have survived if doctors had not found a way to treat cancer. Cancer has been a part of our lives as four out of six members of my family (Dad, Mom, Sisterand I) have been through it. A young smart girl who speaks about finding a cure for cancer instead of boyfriends, movies, parties and lipstick gives me hope. Dedicated work from smart young people like her are our best hope of wiping the traces of cancer from our planet.

Another topic she won me over with was about the education system and attitude of teachers towards children with different needs. She mentioned how her brother, who was gifted kid, was asked to be dumb down by his teacher. Good, her parents made wise decision of allowing him to reach his full potential instead of holding him back just for the sake of acquiring a label of being normal.

If this is the struggle of a smart kid, then anyone can imagine how tough it is for children with challenges.  Being a mom of special needs girl and dyslexic boy, the education system that tries to dumb down children by not allowing them to reach their full potential is something I feel very passionate about. Shree’s attitude and handling of this topic along with her passion for the work she does was very touching for me.

So, twice Shree Bose won my heart over with her video. Though held tight on time and having urgent work to attend to, I just could miss the opportunity of sharing my thoughts and promoting her cause here today.

As a survivor of cancer, the word recurrence is something I dread very much. The post I had written a while ago "Soak Us No More in Fear" tells very much about the way I feel. I know it is the same with almost every survivor. After fighting cancer with all you have, going through chemotherapy, losing a part of your body (breast in my case) and suffering the after effects - it is sad to know that you are not even cured. Cancer is just put to sleep and rest. It can come back any day stronger and more deadly to claim your life.
Losing my Mom and Sister to Cancer was devastating for me. I suffer from the guilt and often ask myself the question Why not me? Why only them? The emotional trauma was much more demoralizing than anything else. One of the reasons why I decided to get into Counseling and Psychology so that I can reach out to cancer affected people and ease their emotional pain. Cancer is a disease that affects not only the sufferer but all the people around them.
Shree Bose, who has experienced the death of a loved one to cancer, will have more passion into her work than those who have not experienced the pain. Kudos to Dr.Alakananda Basu, who took her under wings and allowed the young lady to develop wings to soar out and reach the skies.  I wish her all her best in finding a solution to the menace of cancer that claims so many lives world over.
The second issue she talks about is as important for me as finding cure for cancer. So many young children are forced to dumb down due to our theory centered education system which forces them to read, memorize and write down the answers dumbly on answer sheets; whether they understand the topic or not. Hats off to the parents of Shree who refused to allow the teachers to cripple the mind of their child. Every child is born with different gifts which are neatly packed away. As parents it is our duty to find this gift and unwrap it carefully. We cannot destroy the gift they have in them...

If Newton never told anybody about the law of gravity, if Edison would not have lit the houses but instead if they had found the cure for cancer, I would still have my Mom and Sister in my life. I would not mind lighting a lamp or not knowing about gravity if I could save them from succumbing to cancer. Wishing Shree Bose all the success in her venture. 

The post is a part of contest organized on Indiblogger by Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.