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GURUGRAM, November 14, 2019: As the nation celebrates ‘Children’s Day’, India’s favourite airline – SpiceJet took on to something more unique. The airline yet again spread it wings for its signature program – Sapnon ki Udaan, a day-long carnival with 118 underprivileged children and adult patients battling cancer.
A heartfelt experience for the SpiceJet family, the program initiated a beautiful journey for the airline touching the lives and ‘giving wings’ to these cancer patients from economically weaker sections of the society. A SpiceJet Boeing 737 aircraft was especially designated to take these patients on the ‘joy-flight’ which included 60 children and 58 adults followed by a buffet dinner and other fun-filled activities to make the day more memorable. The menu was especially curated taking into account all dietary restrictions.
The initiative was supported by CanSupport, an NGO that runs India's largest free home-based palliative care programme for cancer patients and their families. This ‘joy-flight’ included children aged between six to 20 years. Most of them had never travelled by air before and wished to ‘fly in a plane’. Each one of the 118 being a warrior had a story to tell. While the mischievous and joyful 5-year old twins suffered from retinal cancer; a young lad in late 20s enjoyed life to its fullest despite getting administered with morphine every four hours and SpiceJet made sure to be a small part of these unbelievable stories.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “It is both our responsibility and honour to be a part of such a noble cause. We are glad that through this initiative we are able to make a small difference in the lives of these patients who are bravely battling cancer. SpiceJet has taken many such initiatives in the past and will keep doing so in the future, contributing in our own small way to bringing happiness and joy.”
As part of the initiative, a SpiceJet team flew with the patients along with their guardians on a sortie from New Delhi airport. Flying 35,000 feet above sea level was a once in a lifetime experience for them. With a total of 146 passengers on-board, the aircraft flew over the city of Delhi for about an hour. The magical view of the clouds and special treatment given by the airline crew onboard the aircraft was a moment of high emotional value. By the end of the joy ride which lasted for more than an hour, the smiles on their faces and joy in their heart were felt by everyone at SpiceJet.
Since 2014, SpiceJet has been actively involved in the initiatives undertaken to make a difference to the lives of the underprivileged and attempt to bring a positive change in the society. To mention a few, 25 underprivileged children from the Navjyoti India Foundation & India Vision Foundation, along with five guardians, were flown from Delhi to Goa on their first-ever flight in 2015.
In 2017, on the occasion of Rakhi, SpiceJet flew almost 50 sisters and families of Army Jawans to meet their brothers posted at the Base Station in Delhi and Base Hospital in Srinagar where injured army soldiers were getting treated. In another one-of-a-kind initiative, ‘Roshan Hoga Desh Hamara’ was launched on Diwali in 2017, wherein the airline had adopted the remote village of BARUAHCHUCK in Assam to provide sustainable energy access through solar microgrid to the people living there in an attempt to improve their quality of life. These are only a few of the many social contributions and efforts made by SpiceJet as a responsible corporate citizen.
After landing at the Delhi airport, these patients were escorted to a hotel near Aerocity for a buffet dinner and fun activities for them to enjoy. A magic show performance took the children by surprise and they spent the evening dancing to the tunes of their favourite songs.
Ms. Harmala Gupta, Founder- President CanSupport added “We feel fortunate at CanSupport to have an opportunity to bring joy into the lives of those who have been robbed of their childhood by cancer. We thank SpiceJet for helping these children leave their worries behind as they soar into the skies for an unforgettable ride.”
About CanSupport:
"CanSupport is North India’s largest home-based palliative care service provider and a WHO awarded organization. We provide free palliative and supportive care services to cancer patients since 1996. Since inception our teams have brought medical, emotional, social and spiritual care to the homes of people battling cancer. We now have 32 teams and currently look after 2600 patients at any time in Delhi, Haryana, UP and Punjab. All our services are free of charge."
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