Winning over cancer, in body, mind and spirit
Papa, my father-in-law, was diagnosed with blood cancer two years ago. A fauji, he was an epitome of a disciplined life. He took care of what he ate, avoided eating out and exercised regularly. For us, he was a paragon of perfect health and mind.
On one of our trips to Manali, he felt enervated. His strong limbs lacked the strength to traverse the mountain terrain. He would get breathless after a few steps. This looked strange for he was the one to lead us and nudge us to walk a little more on long trails. After we returned, he underwent a check-up. The results left us shocked for he was diagnosed with leukemia, the cancer of the white blood cells that are the foremost defence of our body, protecting it against the invading armies of germs and micro-organisms. By the time the cancer was detected, it had caused irreversible damage.
All hell broke loose as the impact of the news sunk in. How long will he live? How much time is left? Unspoken questions wreaked havoc in our minds. Gloom descended on the house, taking away the laughter and merriment.
But the zest for life lies in not giving up, at any time and under any circumstance.
Papa got admitted in an army hospital. The initial days of treatment and blood transfusions were heart-wrenching for the pain could have been experienced only by him. We watched helplessly as he fought the disease with an onslaught of drugs. At one point, he was dispirited too. The strength in his resolves and his incessant will to fight was shaken by the disease. He was depressed and lonely and negativity permeated the atmosphere at home.
But the evolved strides in the treatment of cancer besides the support of loved ones gave papa’s mind and spirit the strength he needed to fight back.
Step by step, one cycle after the other proved that he was getting stronger. And now that the treatment has been on for two years, he appears healthy, positive and raring to go.
With his health regaining its vigour, the vitality in the house is back. Each one of us, along with fighting our personal battles, has been fighting the bigger battle against a disease that inflicted a loved one. It was not only papa who suffered, it was all of us who lived with him under one roof, who felt the inexplicable doom of the unsaid. Though the fight inside his body goes on, he smiles more often, laughs a little more, and is positive about making it despite the odds.
On World Cancer Day today, I salute the spirit of cancer survivors who have defeated the disease with an indomitable will and the zeal to live. The battle of life is fought on multiple fronts, it begins with the body but is won in the mind. The care and compassion of loved ones is a balm that may not heal the body completely but soothes the mind, making it sagacious and endowing it with the power to endure.
THE ZEST FOR LIFE LIES IN NOT GIVING UP, AT ANY TIME AND UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE