L+M lecture named for Jasjit Bindra, Groton chemist, will highlight caregivers' burden
When Jasjit Bindra, a Groton resident and Pfizer scientist, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, his family members had plenty of information about his disease and the science behind it.
Bindra joined Pfizer in 1971 and worked in drug discovery as a senior research investigator. His wife, Ranjna Bindra, holds a doctorate in chemistry. Their daughter Ratna, worked at Pfizer and their son Ranjit, was studying for a medical degree at Yale University and planned to pursue radiation oncology.
But the family was not necessarily prepared for the emotional weight of their father's illness and his death from cancer in 2007, Ranjit Bindra said.
"There's more of an understanding (now) that we need to address the needs of families and caregivers," Bindra said Sunday.
The Bindra family asked Dr. Rajesh Tampi, a geriatric psychiatrist, to give the third annual Dr. Jasjit S. Bindra Memorial Community Cancer Lecture Series, because they recognized that the psychological toll of cancer can be just as serious as the physical symptoms.
Saying that she wanted to honor her husband by educating the community that he held so dear, Ranjna Bindra started the Community Cancer Lecture Series at Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in 2015.
Tampi, the vice chairman for education and faculty development at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a professor at Case Western and at Yale, will speak Thursday about the burden that a chronic or terminal illness can put on patients and their families.
"I always ask the caregivers, 'how are you doing, how are you dealing with this?'" Tampi said. "They are usually the silent spectators who carry most of the burden of this care."
Dr. Wasif Saif, Jasjit Bindra's oncologist, spoke about esophageal cancer at the first lecture, and Ranjit Bindra gave the second lecture in the series last year.
Tampi said he will speak about mental health resources available to patients and their caregivers, and encourage them to seek help when dealing with the illness becomes too stressful.
"I want to sort of break the stigma of psychiatry, and say, 'it is OK to ask for help, this is a stressful situation.'"
"We all can only withstand stress so much," he added. "Asking for help is a good thing, not a bad thing."
Tampi will take questions from the audience after the lecture. The event is free but seating will be limited, so people planning to attend should reserve a seat by calling (860) 442-0711, ext. 3163, by emailing development@lmhosp.org
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