82-year-old Sadanand Vishnu Karandikar created an example of great compassion and humanity by donating all of his money to help with cancer treatment for others. After his wife’s demise due to cancer, grief-stricken Karandikar paid homage to his deceased wife through this exemplary help for the treatment of cancer patients.
The Karandikar couple, who were residents of Anand, had moved to an old-age home in Nerul after retirement, as they had no children. Some years back, Mrs. Karandikar was diagnosed with cancer and eventually died of it last year. During his wife’s treatment, he had seen many cancer patients and the high stress levels of their family members. Cancer treatment is expensive, and besides the emotional toll of witnessing loved ones suffering, it puts the family in financial hardship during and after treatment. Karandikar had experienced how some families were financially devastated going through the cancer treatment of a family member. The grief of losing his wife to cancer only reinforced his urge to help with the cancer treatment of the poor and needy. So he decided to contribute Rs 20 lakhs, Rs 10 lakh each for PMRF donation and CMRF donation towards cancer treatment of the poor, in memory of his wife. PMRF and CMRF stand for Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, respectively. Karandikar handed the cheques for both the CMRF and PMRF donations to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
Compassion from grief!
While grief creates depression, it made a deep desire in Karandikar to help people with all the resources he can in their battle against cancer, the disease that took away his beloved wife from him. His generosity has set an example in society and caught the attention of millions to the stress, trauma, and financial toxicity suffered by the families of cancer patients. You needn’t have to go through the pain to help a grave cause.
Inspiring others with his generosity
Sadanand Karandikar saw closely how the cost of cancer treatment puts people in difficulties, which led him to donate Rs. 20 lakh, in memory of his wife, to aid cancer patients’ treatment. It gave his philanthropic act an interesting connection when he chose to hand his cheques to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who lost his father to cancer early in his life. Devendra Fadnavis was only 17 when his father, Gangadharrao Fadnavis, died of cancer after a long battle. So, Devendra Fadnavis, too, had seen the financial distress of the families of cancer patients, as he had to come to the Tata Cancer Hospital frequently from Nagpur for the treatment of his father.
Devendraji realized that due to an inadequate number of cancer hospitals, it was difficult for cancer patients to receive timely and proper treatment in government hospitals. At that time, he made a promise to himself that one day he would start a hospital for treating cancer in Vidarbha or Nagpur. Devendra Fadnavis made his promise come true by inaugurating a modern National Cancer Research Institute & Hospital in Nagpur, providing life-saving treatment to lakhs of cancer patients from the entire Vidarbha and Maharashtra, as well as neighboring states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Both Devendra Fadnavis and Sadanand Karandikar were struck by the same feeling that made them contribute their best to the cause. It is because of such charity stories that inspire others to help in society. Generosity creates a positive ripple effect in our lives.
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