KARACHI: To raise funds for a breast cancer hospital under construction in Lahore, Pink Ribbon Pakistan hosted a fundraiser at a local hotel on Sunday where philanthropists in the city came together and threw their support behind a worthy cause.

With breast cancer among the most common forms of cancer worldwide, and Pakistan having one of the highest incidences of breast cancer in Asia, a battle needs to be fought locally against the stigma attached to the disease as well as lack of information and awareness.

CEO of Pink Ribbon Pakistan Omer Aftab shared the organisation’s journey which had a rocky start. “I remember how in October 2004 we did a media launch of Pink Ribbon Pakistan. Unfortunately at the time, the electronic media blacked out the event. They said talking about breast cancer is considered vulgar according to the media guidelines. That was from where we started this campaign when talking about a disease that kills 40,000 women every year was considered ‘vulgar’.”

Fortunately, he explained, things are quite different now.

“We have been able to break this silence and have been able to bring this topic in the national health agenda and created awareness of early diagnosis as well as advocacy.”

Another major achievement he listed was the lighting up of the Faisal Mosque in pink in solidarity with breast cancer patients; it took Pink Ribbon Pakistan three years of hard work to get permission to do so.

A play was also staged at the fundraiser titled Marnay Se Pehlay Jannat directed by Khalid Ahmed. Featuring a two-person cast including Ahmed and Bakhtawar Mazhar, the play revolves around a sick old man, Naushad, who is spending the last few weeks of his life in the company of his maid, Jannat after his family loses interest in him.

A tale about the perseverance of the human spirit despite the most trying of times is what the play is about. Naushad, despite having lost his will to live long ago, still holds on after developing an unlikely friendship with Jannat.

His acerbic and unkind words hide a friendliness that the scorned Jannat latches onto. The unlikely pair, though poles apart, consider the other a kindred spirit.

With stellar performances by both Ahmed and Mazhar, the play was an appropriate dramatisation to reinforce the importance of family and loved ones during the time of illness. Despite the pain and the fear of impending death that Naushad battles with every day, he feels a little better each time Jannat is there to support him.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2017