Fans pray for magic as K Lal battles cancer

Magic runs in his veins. How else can one explain the phenomenon of one man performing 22,400 shows over 61 years across the globe? But today 88-year-old magician Kantilal Girdharilal Vora — better known as ‘K. Lal’ — himself needs some sort of magic to recover from illness.

Suffering from cancer of the brain, Lal was given radiation treatment for 18 days at SAL hospital in Ahmedabad, to destroy the three tumours that are threatening his life. He seemed to be recovering while the treatment was going on but once it stopped his health began to deteriorate once again.

Lal’s son, Harshad, better known as Junior K Lal, said that about a year back, doctors detected a large cancerous tumour in his father brain.

“But it vanished after he was given chemotherapy for five months. Doctors had then called it a miracle. A few days back, however, an MRI revealed three small tumours and he was immediately given radiation treatment.

He was fine so long as he was given radiation but after it stopped his potassium and sodium levels fell sharply,” said Harshad. Due to the low levels of sodium and potassium in his body, Lal lost control over his speech and is unable to recognise anyone.

“In order to treat this problem, doctors gave him sodium for three days and potassium for one day. But following this treatment, he caught pneumonia and his kidneys began to shut down,” said Harshad.

Despite treatment in the intensive care unit for many days, he did not recover. Lal then insisted that he wanted to go home and rest there. His room at his home has been converted into an ICU with full-time doctors and nurses. 

“He has not eaten for two days and has stopped passing urine. He is on oxygen and doctors have left it to God to save my father’s life,” said Harshad. Family members, medicos and K Lal’s numerous fans are praying for a miracle for the magician.