Heroes who fought cancer and deserve an applause

Here’s part two of the stories of nominees of the second edition of DNA Winners in Life Awards. The awards celebrate patients who beat the disease as well as the medical professionals dedicating their life to the treatment of the patients. From fighting back to being fit post 60s to learning to live again just at 28, these eight stories are inspiring not just for other cancer patients, but prep you for any battle life may throw at you. Read on...

Vidya Kamath

My battle began in 1998, when I found myself bleeding 10 years after attaining menopause. For a year I avoided visiting a gynaecologist, until I’d lost all my strength. My daughter, who’d just graduated, insisted I undergo tests. The results turned our world upside down — I was told that I have Stage 3B Cervical Cancer. Doctors at Tata Hospital warned me and my family that chances of survival were slim. Radiation therapy was prescribed. V-Care volunteers at Tata were very helpful and prepared me to fight my fiercest battle. I not only overcame cancer, but have since fought multiple ailments — multiple kidney stones since 1998; a mini stroke (transient ischemic attack), hypertension, even a relapse scare. At 72, I continue to travel in Mumbai locals, do all household chores, and lead a fulfilling life, because I didn’t give up the fight. Age is no excuse to let anything stop you. Not even cancer.

Shireen Bagwadia

In September 2008, for an unexplained reason, I began to bloat, and soon enough, it looked like I was eight months pregnant. I was 74, and lived alone. No medication (for gas and acidity) helped. I walked into Nanavati Hospital and demanded a sonography without any prior appointment or prescription. The cancer diagnosis was a shock, as I have always been fit: I jogged, swam, even practiced yoga. I also kept busy with work and hobbies; in fact I was employed at that time. Considering my age, initially doctors advised against chemotherapy and surgery, and implied that I rather choose a ‘peaceful death’. I almost agreed. But after the tears dried up, I was ready to do whatever was needed to beat cancer. I’d go alone to the hospital for a very strong doze of chemo, and return to an empty house to deal with its after effects. My first taste of victory came when the CA-125 test came back with a value of 62.40 in January 2009 after three chemo sessions. After that the surgery was a cakewalk, due to the love and care of my elder brother and bhabhi. Chemo may have robbed me of my hair, but not of my spirit. My attending doctors, surgeon, my brothers, friends, and neighbours, too, stood by me like a rock. Cancer may have ravaged my physical self, but it mended some of my relationships and helped me to emerge stronger.

Rita Banik

I had lost my father to prostrate cancer in 1976, and in March 2006, I was staring at a similar fate when I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer Stage II. I flew to Delhi from Assam for my treatment — surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The whole treatment took about nine months that were filled with depression, restlessness, and many sleepless nights. To deal with the stress, I took to writing. My first article — Coping with Cancer — was published on the last day of my chemo. Soon after, I found myself involved in the fight against cancer in many ways. Speaking at seminars, volunteering with support groups and building similar platforms in smaller towns like Silchar, Assam. An advocacy training workshop at Argentina opened my eyes to more possibilities. I have also penned a book on dealing with cancer: Kick The Beast Out Of Your Life. Along the way, I met a fellow cancer survivor, Rashmi Kapoor, with whom I now work to spread cancer awareness in schools and colleges via the charitable trust called RACE to rein-in-cancer.

Parag Pevekar

In 2013, at 28, I was at a defining juncture in my career, taking the risk of quitting a secure career in aviation to pursue academics at TISS, Mumbai. The same year, I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer. Strangely, the only thought that crossed my mind at that point of mind was, “Let’s get done with this”. I underwent a total thyroidectomy with only my father by my side, having lost my mother to Multiple Sclerosis when I was 9. As I waited for normalcy to return, my mindset took a grave turn. The next step in the treatment was RadioIodine Scan performed in an underground facility. Everything unravelled here. I’d cry, crave for sunlight, and I was struck with a range of emotions until I could accept the fact that my life had changed. How little I knew of my own body. The two major takeaways from my trial: awareness is important — just like not every headache is a brain tumour, not every lump is nothing. The second: sharing survival stories to educate and empower others.

Alka Kulkarni

The word cancer brought fear and grief and the end of life when I heard it for the first time in 2006. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 52 and underwent surgery followed by chemotherapy for six months. I recovered and went back to my normal life and job until 2010, and then I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I was among one in hundred thousand cases who suffer from two different cancers within a span of five years. At one point, doctors almost gave up as I battled against malaria during chemo in an ICU. I lived, and completed the surgery and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, I had multiple ovarian cancer relapses in 2012, 2014 and 2016. Here I am living with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, ovarian cancer with multiple recurrences, three surgeries, 30 rounds of chemo in the last 12 years. My body has slowed down, but not my mind, which still wants to enjoy the smallest moments in life. In 2006, I had not imagined to live long enough to see my grandchildren. As a cancer survivor, expect phases of depression, pain, helplessness. Acceptance of these circumstances will give you a better control over  your life. The goal has to be the ‘will to live’ and not ‘a battle to survive. Be aware of your disease and what new treatments are available globally. It is crucial to maintain a good quality of life during the cancer treatment. This includes deciding on your treatment, whether to reject complex surgery for only chemotherapy or stopping chemotherapy and going in for other advanced targeted therapies.

Anita Vesuvala

Twenty two years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 39. Like most patients I too kept questioning God “Why me?” After surgery, when the doctor told me that I could go home, I felt how could I return with a vital part of me missing? Meeting a woman who also underwent mastectomy helped tremendously. Seeing her, I realised it was possible to go back to ‘normal’. I also realised that I could help others who were going through a similar process. My onco-surgeon Dr Sultan Pradhan encouraged me, and with his and Prince Aly Khan Hospital’s help, the Cancer Rehabilitation Clinic was set up in 1994 devoted to breast cancer patients. Dedicated trained volunteers, including health professionals run the rehabilitation clinic. Cosmetic support, post surgical exercises, information on diet, it offers all this and more. This contribution brings about an overwhelming emotion of self fulfilment, in the knowledge that we make a difference. It’s a drop in the ocean, but believe me, every drop counts.

Kapil Chawla

It was 2005 when I learnt that I was suffering from cancer. I felt my death was near. I had only heard that cancer means death, and one with cancer cannot live long. My mother and I were worried about it. I decided to enjoy my life without caring about this. I tried to keep the fear out of my mind by keeping busy. I accepted my disease as a challenge, and it became a source of inspiration for me to do things I possibly wouldn’t have before. I did a lot of work during that period. As a result, there isn’t a single day even now when I don’t work hard. That period of suffering was my golden period, which taught me how to lead a life of hard work. Now, I consider my days of suffering as a blessing that opened my eyes to life. Perhaps I did not know how to live before this.

Gaurav Mashruwala

In May 2008, an ulcer appeared on my tongue, that grew and wouldn’t go away. A biopsy confirmed it was cancer. The diagnosis hit me hard; my mother was already battling with breast cancer. Two days after the diagnosis, the ulcer was surgically removed. I recovered quickly, but my mother passed away soon after. A few months on, at my father’s insistence, I went to New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre for a second opinion. They then found cancer in the lymph nodes in my neck. I returned home for another surgery followed by a six-week radiation programme. It was a difficult time, but I made efforts to keep myself upbeat and sail through. Over time, all seemed well again, until January 2012 when my doctor spotted a minute scratch on my tongue. A PET scan report revealed it was not cancerous, yet the good doctor had his doubts. Post-surgery reports revealed it was indeed cancerous. I had lost 30 percent of my tongue. Now, with a shorter tongue, certain foods are difficult to eat, but it’s a small price to pay for being able to speak normally. Then, in May 2012, some white spots under my tongue alarmed my doctor. “Let’s just get rid of them,” I told him, although they were not cancerous. I have been cancer-free for over three years now. I’ve continued working. Having experienced so much and enjoying every day, I know I am also better equipped to deal with cancer or anything else.