Everything said or written, researched or spoken about cancer is lapped up ravenously. The world awaits the next big thing in the field. On the ground, stories of grit and stoicism of men and women in the throes of the disease abound. Those with happy endings survive to tales of extraordinary courage. It instils hope in the afflicted and removes fear in those who dread its sudden strike. It’s all about luck, said a scientist after much research on the causes of the disease contesting and debunking many observations. Yet the jury is still out. Why me, is a question oft asked. Amidst all this one finds great solace in the network of people - survivors, their families, empathisers, dedicated doctors, nurses - and just about anybody who joins in to give hope and comfort to the cause. It is in this sharing that humanity reaffirms itself, in those little acts by people for others they don’t even know.
Dr. V.P. Gangadharan , noted oncologist and the driving force behind Cochin Cancer Society places great hope in the youth of today. “A large majority of today’s youth are very focussed, forceful, extremely positive and sensitive to the society’s needs. I know so many young patients who have combated the disease with courage, except in those initial moments when the dreaded news is broken to them. They have shown a remarkable fighting quality, all of which has seen them through the disease and also helped them scale great heights. I have found them more mature, with lesser distractions after they go through and come free of the disease. They are also a very positive, powerful support group. There are stories of how the children treat their aged parents. But I can tell you so many of how children, have sacrificed their jobs, their pleasure, to take care of their parents, be by their side during chemotherapy. I don’t think that I, and most of my generation, was as responsible, strong, and socially sensitive than the youngsters I see around.”
Priya Habeeb
Priya Habeeb can’t stop laughing and her joie de vivre contagious. She says, “I am happy.” And why not? Not only did she beat leukaemia, she had another baby afterwards, has started her own beauty parlour and has become strong. Almost eight years ago she and her husband, Habeeb, found out that she was afflicted. The ensuing three years were trial by fire for the couple from Kanjiramattam. Since their’s was an inter-caste marriage they had no support from her family. But the 37 year-old got all she needed, through bouts of jaundice, pneumonia and diabetes – plenty of love and caring – from her husband. Habeeb’s mother stepped in to help with their older son who was two at the time. “The experience changed me in more ways than one – it made me tough. Today, I can face any situation; any test life can throw at me. I see life more positively now. If it wasn’t for cancer I wouldn’t have met Dr. Gangadharan.” Like the times when prospective employers refused to employ her as she disclosed her status as a cured cancer patient. “Despite all the awareness about cancer, people believe it is incurable.”
Dr. Lizzy Cleetus
An oncologist Dr. Lizzy knows firsthand how important it is to have a strong support system that provided her a sense of togetherness, a source of strength that helped her through during those tough times. “My songs Raju and Ajay, professionals, were working, the latter on a three-year contract in West Asia at the time when I was diagnosed with the disease. Ajay quit his job and returned to take care of me. Raju’s wife, Treesa Grace, my own, beloved daughter, was a tower of strength. She had a baby, was working and managed everything so well. I remember her working from the hospital room. There was my sister’s son Anil who was also there making it, as my family called them, a formidable three-man army with a lady in command,” recalls Lizzy. Even her young driver Anish was ‘so helpful, so sensitive.’ As Dr. Lizzy says, “This large support system, mostly youngsters, even my sons’ friends joined to help, made me realise how misunderstood the young generation is. They only need to be guided and they can be such a force.”
Preetha S. Menon
Preetha can’t stop thanking her doctors, friends and family for standing by her side through the ordeal. But it is her 13-year-old daughter Nivedita who she says played an extraordinary role and was a constant source of strength. “She would observe my face continuously for any signs of sadness or anxiety and she kept reassuring me that things would be fine for her amma ,” says Preetha who battled the disease with support from her sister and doctor brother-in-law. “My brother-in-law Dr. Anand Kumar rose like a brother and father rolled into one. He was very supportive.” On the encouragement by her doctors Preetha rejoined her gym sessions, and continued with chemotherapy. Her art teacher who had stopped the classes due to personal reasons restarted them for Preetha’s sake. “I found support from everywhere. My group of friends from the gym would come and escort me to the workout sessions. My instructor was very caring,” says Preetha who discovered the cancerous lump after having lost weight through her workout sessions.
Nivedita who stood by her mother through the illness and knows about the disease and the treatment has already once donated her long and silky hair to the Hair for Hope project that makes wigs for cancer patients.
Harty Jacob
Harty was 21 years old when he was affected by leukaemia. It came as a shock but Harty says it was his mother who helped him through the tough times. As he moved from Kattapana to Kochi for treatment it was his father who was left behind to take care of his other two siblings who were in class 9 and 7.
The ordeal has filled Harty with optimism. He says he does not fear the disease at all anymore. He never questioned God during the tough times and believes that a confident and positive mindset helps fight the sickness. Today at 28 Harty is married and works as an Assistant Manager with Federal Bank. Happily he says about his tryst with the dreaded disease. “It was a good experience, I can say that”
Manu Melvin Joy
Finding out that you have cancer at 18 or 19 is tough, but not for Manu Melvin who looks back at those dark times without rancour. At 30 he sees the experience as one which has shaped him into what he is today. He was in his second year of engineering when he was diagnosed with cancer.
The diagnosis came as a shock, especially to his parents. Three years of draining treatments later he was cured. Following which he completed his engineering, went on do get a master’s in management and is a research scholar at CUSAT.
He also is an assistant professor at a management school and got married last August. It has been fully packed 10 years and he says, “My take-back is that I realised how much my parents love me. I was so weak that my mother brushed my teeth and bathed me. I understand the value of health, of relationships and formed many friendships. I have learned to value what I have.” He talks to the cancer-afflicted and even meets them to give them hope and courage. “It is reassuring to hear from another survivor that it can be cured and one can lead a healthy, normal life.”
