Reconnecting the mind, body & soul
How a cancer diagnosis inspired a personalised approach to wellness for a healthier future
In 2017, I became unwell with what felt like a recurrent virus. Checks and bloodwork revealed no clues, even after I noticed a slight swelling on the left lymph node of my neck and lost a considerable amount of weight. In September the following year, further tests revealed a more serious condition: Stage IV Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Later, the experts at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the world’s leading centres for cancer research and treatment, discovered that my cancer was a primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Following my diagnosis, I spent much time trying to better understand the disease, speaking to experts and cancer survivors and reading articles and books on the subject from conventional medicine to natural therapies and alternative healing. I underwent treatment at Istanbul’s ChemoThermia Oncology Center which takes an integrative approach, combining standard chemotherapy with supplementary protocols, such as a modified diet and complementary therapies to support the immune system, build up the body’s natural defences and make the chemotherapy more effective. I strongly believe these complementary therapies played an important role in my healing. My first PET scan in early 2019 revealed that the cancer had completely disappeared, and I am thankful that my bi-anWe nual scans have since remained clear.
During my treatment, I read Dr Kelly Turner’s book, Radical Remission. The book looks at the actions one needs to take to achieve radical remission, focusing on mental well-being. Eva, my partner, and I have always been inspired by the power and majesty of nature, and there is a growing body of research that reveals its profound influence on one’s mental and physical well-being, from reducing blood pressure and damaging stress hormone levels, to improving mood, immune system function and the rate of healing. decided then that the new wellness centre at Soneva Jani (which would become our first Soneva Soul) should impart our guests with a true sense of inner calm, peace and quiet, and the feeling of being at one with nature. My experience with illness and subsequent recovery showed me that being ‘well’ or healthy is never one-dimensional. Rather, it is finding that delicate balance between the well-being of one’s mind, body and soul. With the pandemic now in its third year, reclaiming ownership of one’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being can feel empowering—a step towards a healthier, happier future.
My illness and recovery showed me that being ‘well’ or healthy is never one-dimensional. SONU SHIVDASANI, Hotelier After being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Sonu Shivdasani was forced to rethink his wellness philosophies