A dental surgeon and the first woman paratrooper in the Army Dental Core in 1984, Dr (Captain) Ritu Biyani is also a breast cancer survivor.
In 2000, Biyani, then 40, discovered a lump in her breast. The chances of her surviving were high since she was diagnosed at an early stage. “It was traumatic for me, but I decided to accept my situation. I knew I would respond better to the treatment if I had a positive attitude,” she says.
During this phase, Biyani realised that many women were unaware of the symptoms of breast cancer, because of which they were being diagnosed at later stages with the disease. Biyani took it upon herself to spread awareness on breast cancer among women across India by reaching out to 24 states and conducting 140 workshops in different parts of the country.
In April 2006, Biyani packed her bags and took a six-month-long road trip across India with her 14-year-old daughter Tista, starting with central India. Her only concern was to reach the north-east before it would fall under the blanket of black clouds. “I had to plan my expedition according to the weather. And I knew I had to drive out of the seven north-eastern states before the monsoon lashed out,” she says.
The remaining 80% of their expedition was unplanned. “We would be driving through tribal areas and decide to stop and talk to the locals,” she says. She confesses that the most challenging part of the expedition was communicating with people who spoke different languages; “each village in a state speaks a different language. My daughter suggested that I make a visual presentation rather than give boring speeches.” So, Biyani turned to PowerPoint.
She recollects one experience. The word to be explained was cervix. To explain it in lay terms, she used the word eggs instead. “I told them that cervix is where a woman’s eggs are stored. Suddenly there was commotion among the crowd. I thought I had hurt their sentiments. I asked my translator what the matter was. Then an old man from the crowd told the translator that he was 80-years-old and had never seen a woman lay eggs. That’s when I realised they had picturised a hen’s egg.”
During her journey, many women came up to her and told her that they suspected they had the symptoms of breast cancer, and Biyani would advise them to go the nearest hospital or doctor to get checked.
They then headed south, Kanyakumari being the end point. On their way northward, they had to halt at Pune in July as the western part of the states was severely affected by monsoon floods. Once the rains stopped, Biyani continued towards Rajasthan, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ladak, Siachen, Turtuk and Tyakshi.
Through her travels, Biyani reached out to 26,000 people across the country and till date receives calls and letters from locals informing her that they have been diagnosed positive, but are better now.
Since 2006, Biyani has taken short road trips to Hyderabad or Karnataka where she ended up meeting some of the women she had met on her earlier trip.
Encouraged by all the positive encounters and feedback, Biyani is again ready to pack up for another long trip; this time more focused on central India. “The second road trip is scheduled in the next three months. The trip is about sensitising not just the public, but also the local doctors,” she says.
Contact: 98812 32744.
Or visit www.highwaysbeyondcancer.org.
Comments