CANCER SURIVOR KAYAAN WINS GLORY FOR INDIA
Kayaan Sarosh Anklesaria, aged 13, is a student of St. Mary’s (ICSE) in Mumbai and a prominent member of the Bombay Parsi Punchayet’s athletic team. Fighting cancer is hard for anyone, leave alone a child. Massive surgery, pain and sickness, many sessions of chemotherapy, radiation and constant rounds of hospitals all take their toll. Kayaan became weak and frail. He was always athletic, but his physical weakness in the wake of cancer began to affect his confidence. Kayaan was asked to participate in World Children’s Winners’ Games – a fantastic programme where young cancer survivors, compete internationally in sporting events like rifle shooting, table tennis, running, swimming, football and so forth. His supportive parents, Shernaz•and Sarosh Anklesaria, were initially a bit reluctant as Kayaan had been through hell. Blit the dynamic social worker at Tata Memorial Hospital, Ameeta Bhatia, motivated them. Thus began Kayaan’s journey to glory — but not without guts and gumption! The young lad gave it everything he had.
Kayaan started going to Vile Parle for rifle shooting at Prabhodhan, for table tennis at Parthe Academy at Parel, for football at St Xavier’s, for chess with coach Sharad Vaze at Tata Hospital and to Rustom Baug for athletics training with BPP coach Dara Doomasia who is Kayaan’s longstanding mentor. This year’s games World Children’s Winners’ Games were held at Moscow, where 500 children from 16 countries participated. There were 14 children from India who won 26 medals. Kayaan won a Gold Medal in table tennis, a Silver in chess, a Bronze in rifle shooting and another Bronze in football. Says the young lad: “It is a tremendous feeling to bring hon-our to one’s country.” By Ahura Mazda’s grace, Kayaan won the highest medal tally (4 out of 5 events) and was Champion of the World Children’s Winners’ Games and was chosen to perform the closing ceremony at the grand event. Says Kayaan’s mom Shernaz: “My heart was bursting with pride when Kayaan won the Gold Medal for table tennis. I watched with tears in my eyes as Kayaan stood beaming on the victory podium holding the Indian flag. I thought of the arduous journey from the pronouncement of a grim medical verdict at a doc-tor’s clinic in Mumbai to this amazing moment in Moscow. We thank from the bottom of our hearts Kayaan’s doctors: Dr. Dev Pujari, Dr. Anahita Hegde, Dr. Rakesh Jalali and Dr. Girish Chinnaswamy who combine medical excellence with kindness. But nothing would be possible without the divine grace of my Dadar Ahura Mazda. HE gave us strength and literally carried us through our difficult times.” Jame and its readers salute Kayaan. May Ahura Mazda shower abundant bless-ing and Tandarosti upon this young star of the Parsi community.
Published on Zoroastrians.net | Jame Jamshed : 18 June 2017
