Indian Air Force Fulfils the Dream of 14-year-old Cancer Victim

Chandan, 14-year-old boy, suffering from cancer always dreamt of becoming a fighter pilot. He was undergoing treatment for cancer and passed away on February 5th, the World Cancer day.

Though he did not become a pilot, the Indian Air Force fulfilled the dream by giving him the experience of flying a fighter jet in a Jaguar simulator.

On November, IAF gave Chandan his wings, stitched a small uniform for the 14-year-old and made him a Flying Lieutenant. Flt Lt Chandan was given a first-hand experience of flying a fighter aircraft in a simulator at Ambala airbase.

The dream was made possible with the support of Uday foundation, an organisation working for cancer patients. They spotted Chandan and his father about a year ago near AIIMS and were closely associated with their family ever since.

Girish Mandal, his father was a ration-shop owner in Samastipur, Bihar, and his mother a housewife. In two years, Chandan underwent as many as 22 sessions of chemotherapy, always hopeful that he would grow up and become a fighter pilot.

"He used to visit our centre regularly. When asked what would he like to become when he grew up, he would say �fighter pilot'," Rahul Verma, founder of Uday Foundation said.

"Master Chandan, who had been battling with cancer for some time is no more amongst us. It is a sad coincidence that he left us on World Cancer Day. Chandan was a brave boy and a fighter, in that he was very keen to live his dream of being a fighter pilot, despite probably being aware of his ailment. We were fortunate to have been associated with him and be a part of his dream, albeit for a short time. His cheerfulness and deep desire to follow his dream inspired us all," a condolence message by Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha read on Thursday. Chandan was cremated at Samastipur in Bihar on Thursday evening.

His condition had been worsening day-by-day. "A month ago, he stopped responding to the medicines. He was on morphine for the past seven days. But every time I mentioned about the experience of flying a fighter jet, he had a smile on his face," Verma said.

Source: Medindia