Lisa Ray has campaigned to raise awareness of multiple myeloma, a form of cancer, since winning her own battle against the disease. Now, the actress is planning to open her own cancer research institute in India.
The Water actress, who has returned to India from Canada, where she was born, says she plans to link up with Shiladitya Sengupta, who has worked in cancer research and who won the DoD Breast Cancer Research Programme Collaborative Innovators Award in 2009.
Together, they want to open an institute similar to Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
“Shiladitya and I share a common dream — a cancer institute similar to Dana-Farber here in India,” Ray said in a statement.
“I’m looking forward to collaborating with Shiladitya on the crucial issue of establishing resources for ongoing research into cancer treatments here in India. We have the ability to provide affordable solutions for diagnosis and treatment as well as patient support specifically designed for India,” she added.
With the news that she is ready to make a comeback to films, Ray is sure that she will continue doing her bit to raise awareness.
“My goal is to continue to spread awareness through the media, talks, and collaborations with medical professionals in India. Since preventative courses of action are as important, I will be writing extensively on a new blog and organising as many outreach programmes as possible in India.
“Eventually, I’d like to transform the experience creatively for the big screen and bring my experiences to that canvas to provoke even more conversation around cancer,” said the 42-year-old, who also featured in films Kasoor, Bollywood/Hollywood and Cooking With Stella.
“I believe that to transform the cancer experience in India, we need two major shifts: in general awareness, and then in funding — both to make treatment accessible to all strata of society and to encourage research and breakthroughs here in India,” she added.
