by Brother Jittin Mathew and Eustace Fernandes
MUMBAI, SEP 18, 2018: "At the end of the day you will not remember the person with the most beautiful face but you will remember the person with the most beautiful heart and soul." Keeping this in mind, the staff and management of the HCG Apex Cancer Centre, Borivli (West) invited the children of Bosco Boys Home, Borivli to their hospital on September 15. Staff members accompanied the 35 children of the orphanage.
During the visit to the hospital, HCG Apex Cancer Centre organised a session on health and hygiene, a drawing competition, tattoo making, and provided snacks and return gifts for the children.
The session on health and hygiene was given by Doctor Deepa Trivedi of the infection control team. " Healthy isn't a goal, it's a way of living. Listen to your body, take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live in," she said.
Doctor Trivedi spoke about the various aspects of health and hygiene that are necessary for a healthy lifestyle. She stressed the importance of having a balanced diet to live a healthy life. "Balanced diet gives us nutrients for daily calories. Through this, a person receives carbohydrates, protein and essential vitamins that are wanted for healthy living."
Doctor Trivedi also mentioned the harmful effects of junk food like aerated drinks, chips, pizzas, pickles, salt which have created havoc in society. She emphasised that due to lack of exercise, poor diet and lots of junk food there is a rapid rise in diseases like diabetes, obesity etc.
"Eat better, feel better, eat wisely. You don't have to eat less, you just have to eat right. More veggies, fruits and plenty of water for healthy life, " Doctor Trivedi, said. The importance of washing hands before and after eating was also explained to the boys.
There was a session on sleep hygiene too. Doctor Trivedi said, "Away from mobile and internet two hours before sleeping. Sleep in time which will keep us healthy and less sleep will take a toll on our body which leads to many sicknesses and damages our organs."
Another session on the health benefits of playing sports was taken by Shilpa Gadre. She said, "Playing sports increases the release of carbon dioxide from the body, keeping one stress-free, improving concentration and inculcating the spirit of community and fitness." She also spoke about the importance of having a proper sitting posture. "Daily sitting straight will keep our backbone healthy and blood circulation in the brain will function smoothly, " Gadre, said.
"Regularly playing sports helps to develop the skills and strategies which later help us to study well and cope up with the pressure of education. It also gives us peace of mind and frees us from all worries of the day to day life. If we don't play our body will not function properly and we will be lazy, " Raja Goswami, a standard nine student, said.
The visit was brought to a close with a drawing competition and painting of tattoos for the boys. The event was coordinated by Soniya Masurekar, assistant manager of HCG Apex Cancer Centre and her team. Pratik Gade on the behalf of Bosco Boys Home thanked the hosts for their hospitality. The boys joined in chorus to sing a 'Thank You' song as an expression of their gratitude.