Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 1, 2017)

After his son Ayaan beat cancer following a three-year treatment, Emraan Hashmi has joined hands with an NGO to raise funds amounting to Rs 1.2 crore for government hospitals so those who are ailing can get proper medical care. The campaign, 1 Small Step For Cancer, will kick off on September 6.

A source associated with the campaign points out that the survival rate of children suffering from cancer in India is 30 per cent as opposed to 80 per cent in developed countries. Reasons include lack of awareness, late detection and low income families stopping treatment mid-way. “Emraan will be sharing personal merchandise from his movies along with his watch with lucky donors,” added the source.

The actor is proud to land this opportunity to help children. “In 2014, my son was diagnosed with a rare case of kidney cancer. We were very fortunate to have access to the best treatment and he is perfectly healthy now. This is one small step to ensure that children of low income families too can get access to better and uninterrupted treatment,” he asserted.