On 14 Feb 2026, on the eve of International Childhood Cancer Day (15 Feb 2026), Kailash Ingle, FOM City Chapter leader from Nanded, Maharashtra, received the V Care 2026 Victor Award.
Watching him proudly were his wife and two sons. Also present were Viji Venkatesh, FOM Managing Trustee and Priyanka K, Regional Program Manager, The Max Foundation India, along with Dr Manju Sengar, Professor & Head, Dept of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital , Mumbai, the very core team that has cared for Kailash for more than two decades.
“24 years ago, a little boy, the son of a farmer from the interiors of Maharashtra is diagnosed with CML. His father takes him to hospitals in different towns looking for treatment. The child is traumatized seeing his father struggle. What hurts him most is the way the people in his village have started avoiding him and his family ever since they found out he has cancer… In Kailash’s own words: “I came to know it was Cancer – the deadly disease, but then I decided to fight the cancer. I don’t know from where I got that strength. I come from a rural area and here I experienced the stigma attached to this disease. The villagers’ behaviour towards my family and I was getting worse day by day which I can’t forget in my life. I was finding it very difficult to face this situation. My family members were my support system. Especially my father and my uncle, he was so strong and could give me the strength to fight the situation.”
“For someone so young, there is a huge amount of wisdom in Kailash. He fought the fear and stayed strong and took his family along with him on his journey of survival,” shares Viji about Kailash’s inspiring journey.
From all of us here at FOM, Thank you V Care for recognizing Kailash’s courage.
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