Geetha Panicker did not know the meaning of pain until the day in 2011 when she was diagnosed with cancer. Six rounds of chemotherapy and 26 sessions of radiation therapy in six months had drained her physically. But, to everyone’s amazement, her mental strength was intact.
“I am a born fighter and was ready for anything,” says the former teacher who was diagnosed with another nodule in the breast in 2012.
She went through a tough time until 2014 when she decided to have her breast removed. When her cancer treatment was going on, she pursued new interests. “Managing a home and a job had left me with little time to read and write. While journeying through cancer, I started a blog (geethapanicker.blogspot.com), writing about various subjects. I read many books, listened to music and also did crafts which I gifted to friends,” she says.
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Many such stories of courage came to the fore at the cancer survivors meet “Battle Against Cancer – The Winners’ Meet” organised by Sri Balaji Cancer Clinic at Mylapore last week. Over 150 cancer survivors attended the meeting. Many participants spoke about how having a support system and developing new interests helped.
For spinster S. Lalitha Krishnan, who was diagnosed with cancer in the third stage, it was spiritual faith and trust in her doctor that helped.
“How I faced one and a half years of cancer is a miracle but I made my own decisions and my spiritual faith and trust in my doctor helped me through the period,” says Lalitha, a resident of Mylapore.
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By felicitating cancer survivors, the meeting was an attempt to plant hope in cancer patients undergoing treatment.
Dr. S. Sivakumar, cartoonist Madhan and V. Saikumari spoke.
“We plan to have more such meetings so that there is learning and sharing for the participants,” says V. Kalarani, psycho oncologist.