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According to National Cancer Registry Programme, in India 45,000 children are diagnosed with cancer annually 58% of children diagnosed with cancer in India are malnourished, making their recovery even more challenging. These statistics are both alarming and heartbreaking. Supporting the nutritional needs of children with cancer requires collaboration between doctors, nutritionists, parents, and caregivers.
Cuddles Foundation, a Mumbai-based NGO, works closely with nutritionists and doctors to provide children suffering from cancer with adequate nutrition. Last year alone, they supported over 18,100 children, with partnerships with more than 40 public and charity hospitals across 14 states.
The Journey So Far
“It began when my husband and I were donating a portion of our earnings to Tata Memorial Hospital. To ensure our contributions were making a real difference, we would follow up on the status of the children we supported. During one of my sabbaticals, we were invited to meet some of these children,” says Purnota Dutta Bahl.
“There, I met Shalini Jatia, Officer-In-Charge of ImPaCCT Foundation, who pointed out an important challenge—while many people come forward to help with treatments, there was a glaring gap in the support for nutrition. Children were struggling to stay strong enough to endure treatments like chemotherapy simply because they didn’t have the proper food to sustain them,” she explains.
According to Purnota the moment was eye opening for her and she realised that many children fighting cancer in India didn’t have access to the proper nutrition they needed for recovery. At first she tried to help by making contributions herself. “It was a critical gap that I knew I could help fill. I offered to provide nutritional aid whenever the hospital needed it, but soon the demand grew beyond what I could manage alone. That’s when I started reaching out to friends and building a community. What began as a personal effort turned into Cuddles Foundation.”
Purnota left her stable corporate career, educated herself on pediatric nutrition, and worked closely with doctors to create a blueprint for a non-profit focused on fighting childhood cancer with food. With the support of like-minded individuals from her corporate life and the medical community, she built a movement to address the critical role nutrition plays in a child’s recovery. In 2013 Cuddles Foundation was established with a simple but powerful mission—to ensure that every child fighting cancer has access to the nutrition they need to get through treatment. Over the years Cuddles Foundation has been recognised with many prestigious awards including the National Award for Child Welfare (2015-16), the UN Global Compact Award (2018) among others.
What Kind Of Nutrition Do Children Suffering From Cancer Need
Nutrition is a key factor in the recovery process for children with cancer. Treatment like chemotherapy and radiation can be harsh on the body, leading to side effects like loss of appetite and weight loss. Proper nutrition helps children maintain their strength, improves their tolerance to treatment, and even accelerates recovery. Many families in India struggle to provide this essential support due to financial constraints.
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Each child undergoing cancer treatment has unique dietary needs, which vary based on their age, weight, type, and stage of cancer, treatment regimen, and health status. They need calories, proteins, vitamins, and minerals necessary for maintaining their energy levels, healing, and coping with treatment-related side effects.
Kids with cancer often lose weight and muscle strength due to reduced appetite, feeling of fullness, treatment side-effects, and emotional turmoil of disease. It’s essential to include high-calorie and high-protein foods such as dairy products such as whole milk, and paneer (Indian cheese), nuts, pulses, legumes, eggs, and lean meats, to help them regain strength. They also need fibre-rich complex which includes cereals like wheat, brown rice, whole wheat bread, and oats. Traditional Indian millets such as jowar, ragi, and bajra are excellent choices for balanced nutrition.
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Including healthy fats in the diet helps meet energy requirements without the need for large food portions. Sesame seeds, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds are not only rich in fats but also provide essential vitamins, contributing to overall nutritional well-being. Fruits and vegetables are also important additions to a meal, to support immunity.
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How Can One Contribute
The Cuddles Diwali campaign is all about spreading joy and fulfilling wishes. They have a 'Wishing Basket' and 'a Wish Tree' initiative, through which they encourage people to contribute towards a child’s nutritional needs during this festive season. The wishes we focus on are often basic yet critical— nutritious meals, supplements, or special dietary requirements that aid their recovery.
A typical ‘ration bag’ at Cuddles includes rice, wheat flour, daliya, rawa, ragi flour, poha, jowar, moong dal, moong (chilta)/ Black gram/ Jau/ Urad (depending on the region), tur dal, masur dal, moong whole, chole, rajma, besan, soya chunks, sattu, peanuts, til, almonds, jaggery, sugar, sunflower oil (bottle), ghee, salt, haldi, jeera, garam masala, soap and milk.
“It’s a beautiful way for donors to make a direct impact, and it brings a touch of hope and festivity to children and families who are going through a very tough time,” says Purnota.
“Anyone who wishes to contribute should know that every little bit makes a big difference. Whether it’s sponsoring a meal or supporting a child’s nutritional plan, your contribution is directly tied to improving the chances of a child surviving cancer. We encourage donors to think beyond just financial help—spreading the word, advocating for childhood cancer awareness and creating a community that cares and gives these children the strength to keep fighting,” she concludes.
