The Winners in Life function will be held at ITC Grand Maratha hotel in Parel on February 18. The awardees will be 6 patients, 8 doctors and 3 nurses.
As part of dna's Winners in Life campaign, we are featuring five of the 20 short-listed stories sent by cancer survivors on their journey to beat the deadly disease.
Eminent jury members, including ad guru Alyque Padamsee, former DGP PS Pasricha, former national badminton champion Aparna Popat, chairperson of the Cancer Patients Aid Association Y K Sapru, chief of medicine and head of department of oncology at PD Hinduja Hospital Dr Asha Kapadia and assistant professor at the Tata Memorial Hospital Dr Jyoti Bajpai scrutinised the entries.
Within a span of five days, dna received over 200 entries. The heart-rending stories were inspirational at the same time, making the primary selection process extremely difficult. The stories were shortlisted based on the intensity of the ailment, resilience and contribution to the society.
The Winners in Life function will be held at ITC Grand Maratha hotel in Parel on February 18. The awardees will be 6 patients, 8 doctors and 3 nurses.
Vinod Mudliar, 25
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
In September 2010 — when his graduation results were declared — Vinod came to know about his cancer status. He underwent nine months of intense radiation and chemotherapy. "I didn't get time to celebrate my engineering degree as the very next day, doctors confirmed that I had nasopharyngeal carcinoma. I was informed that the disease is in advanced stage. I was completely shattered but my family helped me gather courage to fight the disease," he said, adding that the treatment was grueling but it made him stronger as a person. "With cancer, I have learnt to take the worst pains into my stride," said Vinod. During his treatment, he got in touch with "Uncancer India", an NGO, and now he works as a volunteer and counsellor with them for the last four years. "The whole journey has taught me the art of adapting to circumstances even if faced with limitations and to move on in life. Life is still beautiful indeed," said Vinod.
Parag Pevekar, 30
Papillary Thyroid Cancer
He was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer in 2013. He had lost his mother to multiple sclerosis at the age of 9 and when he was diagnosed with cancer, his father decided to be his support system. "I have always struggled with concepts like purpose of life, indomitable spirit, finding strength within. Not that I know it all, but I believe that if someone is in trouble and needs help, someone would definitely come and help," said Parag. He added: "I want to be that helping hand who would not just walk with people in need but eventually empower them to deal with their cancer journey and beyond. Because I truly believe that, as we improve our understanding of the biology of cancer we must also improve our comprehension of the psychology of cancer."
Adiraj Poddar, 26
Brain Tumour
Adiraj was diagnosed with brain tumor just nine-months into his job. "This news hit me hard. I lacked the coping skills and reacted in a self-destructive manner," he said. With the help of continuous support of family, fiancée and counselor, he managed to follow a strict regime of meditation, diet and exercise. "Slowly, the effects of all the positive energy showed result and my health started improving, thereby allowing me to perform better at work," said Adiraj. While the treatment was on, he decided to pursue psycho-oncology and is now a certified counselor to cancer patients. "I have got myself trained in psycho-oncology so that I could volunteer and contribute towards helping others who are in need and has given me a new perspective in life," he said. It has been two years since the surgery now, and he is still fighting the war against this disease.
Sushant Kodela, 28
Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma
Sushant came to Mumbai in 2011 from Hyderabad for further studies. Before joining college he got to know that he was suffering from a condition called hypogonadism. "Few tests and scans led to reveal that I had a huge tumour in my abdomen and doctors were calling it Adrenal Cortical Carcinoma," said Sushant. He underwent a surgery but further treatment was not possible as the drug to treat this cancer was unavailable. With the all ups and downs, he managed to finish the treatment and completed his studies too. Now, he has decided to dedicate his life for cancer patients. "I started working with cancer patients, understanding their challenges and started an organisation called unCancer India, with a vision that whatever cancer does to one person I wanted to undo it," said Sushant. The NGO is now partially funded by DBS foundation.
Gaurav Mashruwala
Tongue Cancer
May 2008 was a distressing year for Gaurav as his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and an ulcer had appeared on his tongue. While the ulcer was surgically removed, he lost his mother to cancer. He then went to New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for a second opinion for himself. "They found the cancerous tumour in the lymph nodes in my neck. I returned home for another surgery," said Gaurav. In 2009, he decided to consider ayurveda after completing the intensive cancer treatment protocol. "I had to cleanse my body at the Arya Vaidya Sala in Kottakkal, Kerala. I was put on a long regime of treatments to do by myself. In January 2012, a PET scan report revealed it was not cancerous, yet the good doctor had his doubts. Indeed, post-surgery reports revealed it was cancerous. I had lost 30 percent of my tongue," said Gaurav. He has been cancer-free for over three years now.
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