Message from Aadil Chagla

"BRAIN TUMOUR FOUNDATION" (BTF)

Goals
To minimize the physical, emotional and financial suffering associated with
the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with brain tumours,
and their families.

How to achieve these goals
Provide counseling services for the patient and the family
Information counseling
Supportive counseling
Grief counseling

Medical counseling
Facilitate the treatment, accommodation, transportation, rehabilitation and
special education of such patients.
Support the cost of investigation, treatment and rehabilitation for needy
patients with brain & spinal tumours.
Support research into the causes, treatment and rehabilitation of brain
tumour patients.


Agencies Involved

Hospital Staff:  Doctors, Occupational therapists, Physiotherapists,
Psychologists and Nurses: Initially at the Tata Memorial Hospital  & K E M
Hospital; then involve other centers in Mumbai, Delhi, Pune etc.

Medical Social Workers:  Tata Memorial Hospital and from other agencies.

Cancer Patients Aid Association and V-Care: These are the voluntary
organizations doing commendable work for cancer patients at TMH and
elsewhere.

National Association for Blind

Spastics Society of India

(other such organizations which can help us with their expertise and
network)

Schools:  Special Education Schools as well as normal schools that admit
children with various degrees of neuropsychological problems.

Patient's Support groups: A group of brain tumour survivors and their
families in different parts of the country.


Funding

Individual donors

Corporate houses

Charity organization






Expenditure

Patient Information material (Book / Audio / Video) The cost of this and
other stationary will be borne by the BTF.

Setting up a Telephonic "Helpline": A free phone line service is about to be
introduced by MTNL. In this free phone service, the caller (patient or
relatives) can contact BTF volunteers and the cost of the call will be borne
by the BTF. Two pagers have been procured courtesy 'Pagelinks" allowing the
patients to contact BTF volunteers at any time.

Subsidizing the cost of investigations, treatment and rehabilitation: for
really needy patients with a potentially curable tumour.

Salaries of the staff working for BTF: All the staff of TMH (Doctors,
Psychologists, Physio / Occupational therapists, Social workers and Nurses)
and volunteers from organizations such as CPAA and 'V Care' will not be paid
any salary from the BTF funds. However for the volunteers, we may have to
reimburse their cost of travelling to the hospital or to the patient's
residence. If the BTF work expands in future, we may have to employ a part
time / full time Coordinator and pay his/her salary from the BTF funds. The
coordinator would liaison with all the agencies involved and maintain
records and accounts.

Space for Office and Clinics: Tata Memorial Hospital administration will be
requested to allow us to use the existing facilities free of charge. If this
'Brain Tumour Foundation' is able to generate sufficient work and more
office / clinic space is required in future, then we may have to bear the
cost of the expansion.

Supporting research into the causes, treatment and Rehabilitation of brain
tumours patients: Depending upon the availability of BTF funds, any relevant
research activity may be supported by the foundation in future.




Dr. Rajiv Sarin Dr. Aadil S Chagla
Consultant Oncologist. Consultant Neurosurgeon.



Dear friend

This is to introduce to you a concept, which is geared to help manage
patients with brain tumours and their families: The Brain Tumour Foundation.

I am sure you will agree that the mere thought of anyone close harboring a
brain tumour is most devastating. Besides most brain tumour victims are
children or adults in their prime of life. This not only makes it more
poignant but also creates a need to look after such victims who can often,
with the medical resources available, be restored to near normalcy. This,
however, needs a multi disciplinary approach, which is expensive and rarely
available under one roof. Even after the completion of the hospital
treatment (surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy), many patients require
intensive rehabilitation at their homes and sometimes in the special
institutions.

The World Health Organization has dedicated this decade to the brain. With
remarkable strides in the management of brain tumour there is a need for a
foundation to provide the highest level of care to such patients and perform
research into various aspects of brain tumours. Brain tumours are the
commonest solid tumours in children and in our country affect thousands of
young adults each year. We plan to reach out to all patients suffering from
brain tumour to help them and their families through this devastating
period.

In order to make this happen we not only need a huge team of doctors, health
workers, occupational and physical therapists but will also require finances
to achieve this gigantic project. We are fortunate that all the doctors and
volunteers will work without any remuneration. The Tata Memorial Hospital
has allowed us to use its offices and facilities to achieve this goal. We
are hoping to generate sufficient funds from individual donors and corporate
houses. We call upon your help to make this venture a success by donating
for this cause.  These funds will be utilized for research, treatment and
rehabilitation of these unfortunate patients in the hospitals,
rehabilitation centers and their homes.

The donation cheques should be made payable to the 'Tata Memorial Centre'
with a covering letter stating that this donation is for the Brain Tumour
Foundation.

Yours sincerely





Rajiv Sarin / Aadil S Chagla
Brain tumour Foundation




To,                                                                         
  Date ___ / ___ / ______
The Director,
Tata memorial Centre,
Parel, Mumbai - 400 012.

I / We wish to donate a sum of

Rupees ______________ (__________________________________________in words)
by cash / cheque payable to TATA MEMORIAL CENTRE for the Brain Tumour
Foundation.

We wish to claim 100% Tax Exemption under u/s 35(i)ii.
[A] Yes _______   [B] No ______ (Please tick as appropriate)

Signature__________________

Name_____________________                             Cheque No.____________
Dt_______
                                                                            
    Drawn on Bank__________________
Address
Home:   _______________________________      Office:
________________________
______________________________________        ______________________________
______________________________________        ______________________________
______________________________________        ______________________________
Phone No: Res.____________Off.____________Fax:__________e-mail_____________

I may consider donating on a yearly basis: Yes / No.
I would like to receive regular activity reports and other reading material
from the Brain Tumour Foundation : Yes / No

Please give Name, Address and Phone number of
anyone else you know who will be interested in                For Official
use only
helping the Brain Tumour Foundation by voluntary
work for this cause or by donations.                                 BTF
Account No. ___________

                                                                            
               Liason Person ______________
_______________________________________
                                                                            
               Certificate  35(i)ii given    Y / N