In a week’s time, 23-year-old R Karthik will complete a six-year course, and that would make him a doctor of pharmacy. That is no small feat for someone who spent the last four years shuttling between home and hospitals. He was undergoing intensive chemotherapy after a diagnosis of the cancer of the bone marrow.
In 2018, in his second year at college, when Karthik was going to appear for a pharmacology exam, his eyes showed abnormal colouring and itching.
He initially dismissed it after showing it to a doctor not knowing that they were early signs of cancer. Later, diagnosis showed that he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
At a private hospital that Karthik was first admitted in, the doctor gave him little chance of survival. “My parents were told that I will live for only a couple of months as more than 90% of my cells were immature in this condition,” says Karthik.
Karthik says that his first reaction to this was, strangely, a laugh. “I had heard and read a lot about cancer patients and their struggles but the realisation that I was among them only hit me later,” he says.
But he was not going to let cancer rule his life.
Family and friends close to him suggested he discontinue the course but Karthik would not countenance the idea.
“From the very beginning, I was clear that I will carry on somehow and I am grateful that I could somehow manage; the online classes conducted due to the pandemic turned out to be a big help,” he says.
Once, Karthik had to appear for a mid-exam just three days after a session of chemotherapy, Karthik was feeling terribly unwell. The doctor suggested he get himself admitted. “I was determined that I want to go ahead with exam, and so I postponed getting admitted and gave the exam,” he says.
Karthik notes there were many other odds to deal with: One of them is the huge medical bill that his parents had to foot.
“Dr Anita who heads oncology at Saveetha Medical College Hospital was a big support, always encouraging me and connecting me with other survivors,” he says.
Apart from the classes that kept him occupied, listening to music helped him immensely, he says.
Karthik says he has cleared all his papers so far without any arrears.
“My will power helped me sail through these years of treatment and the support I got from people around me was also a huge help,” says Karthik.
Karthik is planning to find a job in Chennai.
Celebrating the spirit of cancer survivors
More than 100 cancer survivors including children took part in ‘Conquer 2022’, an annual event organised in Chennai by Freedom from Cancer Relief and Research Foundation (FFC) to recognise people who have undergone treatment while being up against various other odds.
The event had a generous sprinkling of music, dance and experience-sharing sessions by survivors, their friends, family members and medical professionals.
The meet was scheduled to coincide with National Cancer Survivors Day, which falls on the first Sunday of June.
Stories of delayed check-ups, postponed surgeries and how lockdown restrictions sometimes interfered with treatment were shared.
Professor Dr Anita Ramesh, founder and managing trustee of the Foundation and senior consultant in medical oncology, said the Trust was started in 2010 and registered in 2015 and since then they have reached out to nearly 1000 survivors.
“A majority of them are my patients and we have been engaging with them through social media and WhatsApp,” says Dr Anita, who heads medical oncology at Saveetha Medical College Hospital.
The Trust was established to help and inspire cancer survivors, spread awareness about the disease, render services and sponsor medical treatment and therapies for the needy.
“We usually have our annual events at malls to be able to create awareness about the need for early diagnosis,” says Dr Anita.
“When we have survivors sharing their stories, shoppers also take note,” she says, noting that Forum Mall and Chennai Citi Centre have been among the venues in the past.
In the previous years, the event also saw survivors walk the ramp, play musical instruments and showcase their many talents.
Dr. Anita said that when someone feels their body is undergoing physical uneasiness, they should go for cancer screening, which is important for the early detection of cancer. Ezhilan Naganathan, MLA and Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Dr. J Radhakrishnan were among the special guests at the event.
For more details, visit www.freedomfromcancer.co.in
