Indian mum fights cancer for second time
DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER WHEN PREGNANT, NADIERA SHARES HER INSPIRING STORY
GAs I did not want to compromise on my baby’s brain growth, I requested the doctor to allow me to continue carrying her inside me.”
etting diagnosed with cancer is not a death sentence, but an opportunity to become a better version of yourself, says an Indian expat woman in Dubai while sharing her inspiring story of battling thyroid cancer for a second time.
Nadiera Senali Veedu, is 36-year-old supply chain specialist at an oil and gas company in Dubai, who lives with her mother, husband and six-yearold daughter in Dubai.
It was when she was about five months pregnant with her daughter Aira that Nadiera first felt a lump in her throat, she told Gulf News.
Nadiera had panicked when she was first told that it was cancer. “We didn’t expect it at all. But soon I realised that, for me and my family’s sake, I had to be mentally strong throughout. Also, I wanted my daughter to be a strong and healthy baby.”
Pre-term or mature baby?
During the eighth month of her pregnancy, Nadiera said her doctor advised her to deliver her baby in advance, then put her in an incubator for two months so that they could start the new mother’s treatment as soon as possible.
But Nadiera did not agree to it. “As I did not want to compromise on my baby’s brain growth, I requested the doctor to allow me to continue carrying her inside me. Doctors were monitoring the growth of the node continuously. Luckily, nothing untoward happened and I delivered a mature baby.”
The challenge after the delivery was planning the treatment, flying back to India and getting prepared for it, recalled Nadiera. Forty-five days after Aira was born, Nadiera had her first surgery done in 2015.
“It was a hemithyroidectomy. I had my second surgery about three months later — total thyroidectomy. A week after, I started radioactive iodine therapy, which is when you take in a high dose of iodine in order to kill the cancer cells.”
Nadiera said getting isolated from her baby and other family members was the hardest part for her.
“The therapy was like going into a solitary prison,” she explained, adding that people now know more about isolation, thanks to Covid-19.
However, happy days were awaiting Nadiera within a few months. “As per my doctor’s advice, we flew to India to take radioactive iodine to diagnose
if the cancer cells were fully cured. The sun, the people, the roads, everything I saw was more beautiful than ever.”
Life was close to normal except for the hospital visits and medicines. “My doctor had advised a radioactive iodine diagnosis to be done in five years. So, in March 2021, I stopped taking my medications for two months to prepare for the diagnosis.”
Second battle begins
However, Nadiera had no clue she would be facing her next battle soon.
“I was extremely tired those days. I was even taken to the ER [Emergency Room] once from my office as I collapsed. The scan following the radioiodine diagnosis showed a recurrent disease.”
It was time for radioiodine ablation therapy again in Dubai. “The dosage was even higher as it was a recurrence.”
Though she has been trying to stay motivated and strong during her second battle also, Nadiera said mild depression, mood swings, fatigue and severe hair loss still affect her.
A message that she wants to convey to others is to “never give up on your dreams and ambitions no matter what your present circumstances are.”
Nadiera Senali Veedu | Dubai resident