The Patient Support Group Meeting held on 28 February 2026 in Kochi brought together nearly 200 CML patients and their families from cities and towns all across Kerala, including Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, Idukki, Kottayam, Kannur, Trissur and Palakkad.
Viji Venkatesh, Managing Trustee of Friends of Max (FOM), travelled to be there from an on ongoing film shoot in Guruvayur. She says that as she entered the venue, the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (who also very kindly hosted the meeting), she was struck by the energy and ambience of the vast premises of the institute. Several patients and their families recognised her from her much appreciated film roles, unaware that she was also there as part of a patient meeting in the hospital itself.
Thanks to the dedicated efforts of The Max Foundation team and FOM volunteers the meticulously planned meeting was off to a good start.
An interesting point to be noted about this meeting is the fact that many of the attending patients have been living with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) for more than 10 years. This meant they brought with them the very important record of their lived experiences adding great value to the gathering.
As Pramod George, Jt. Secy. FOM (who travelled from Mumbai to attend the meeting) shares, “The PSGM at Kochi felt like a reunion of CML veteran survivors. More than 95% of patients have lived with CML for over 10 years. It was like meeting extended family and friends again, sharing experiences, encouraging one another and living the FOM spirit of ‘Together We Share and Learn.’ The positive energy of the gathering left everyone recharged to continue living with the Big C.”
One of the key sessions as in every meeting is the presentation on FOM and the many ways in which as a Support Group it helps CML and GIST patients and their families cope with the condition and live life to the full. This session was jointly presented by Punnya, the young and enthusiastic City Chapter Leader from Kerala, along with Pramod George. Together they shared details of the various patient centric activities being conducted by FOM for the benefit of its members – the patients and their families.
The most eagerly awaited session of course of the day was the interactive Q&A with Medical Experts, led by Dr. Neeraj Sidharthan, Professor & HOD, Dept of Clinical Hematology & Stem Cell Transplant Unit , “Living Well with CML”.
The session extended for over two hours as patients and caregivers asked questions and received valuable guidance on managing their condition.
What was really heartening and illuminating to hear was Dr. Sidharthan’s reflections in his presentation, on how he had been witness to the radical change in the treatment of CML since his days as a young medical student and then a Junior Resident. The transformation of CML condition over the past 25 years, from a time when it was considered fatal and the only treatment available was Busulfan, to today when it is a chronic but manageable condition. All thanks to Glivec and the GIPAP program, run by Novartis and The Max Foundation, which provides the medicine at no cost to thousands of patients. It was a welcome validation of the program from a physician’s perspective, especially so for the many patients at the meeting who are still continuing to receive the medicine under the program. They continue to live and do well.
The meeting also included a session on “Important Nutrition Guidance for CML Patients” by Dr. Nivedita Pavithran and an interactive drama workshop “Step Forward with Every PCR,” conducted by Pramod George along with Steven Mathew and Shaileja Nambiar from The Max Foundation India team.
It was truly a day well spent leaving us all, The Max India team, FOM Trustees, the City Chapter Leaders and the volunteers from AIMS feeling enriched, empowered and already looking forward to the next meeting. Thank you Sajeevan, Kavitha, Shajahan, Punnya, Ramya Praveen, Mohan Kumar and Eldo for all the hard work put in for the success of the day.
A special thanks to the surprise visitor of the day, Ramanathan Shesh, City Chapter Leader from Nagpur .
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