Breast Prostheses to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India

An inspiring international Rotary project, stemming from one Rotarian's recognition of need and then working tenaciously to deliver help where needed.     

The breast prostheses donation programme was initiated by Dr Anu Shrotri who takes up the story

It started as an idea when talking to a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer in India. There appeared to be a problem getting good quality breast prostheses in India at a reasonable price impacting on the quality of life, especially of women in the lower socioeconomic group.

I did a pilot project carrying 25 donated implants in my suitcase to India and distributing them to patients in a charitable hospital in Pune, India. Several people were involved in the project, from surgeons in the hospital to the volunteers who fitted the prostheses for the needy patients. The prostheses were snapped up in a short time.

Since then I have been in talks with the company Womanzone, who regularly donate prostheses to women in different countries. We wanted to be able to send many more prostheses and pocketed bras to India on a regular basis. This was not going to be an easy task as it would involve transportation of the cargo by ship or by air. We would also need a team to take the responsibility of collection and delivery of the prostheses at the other end.

With the help of Rotary club of Crosby and International Rotary network we were finally able to bring this project to fruition. Around 60 prostheses and equal number of bras with pockets have reached Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital Pune, ready to be distributed. Majority of patients undergo mastectomies in India as opposed to lumpectomies. There is thus a huge need for these prostheses. We are hoping that this will be a yearly donation drive so that we can make a difference to the lives of many women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Crosby Club is justifiably proud of the achievements of Dr's Anu and Milind Shrotri and we hope to be involved with future shipments and foster working relationships with Rotary Clubs in Pune.