Her Cancer and A Lesson

Cancer was a rarely heard word earlier, but these days, it is one of the most frequently heard health issue, across the world. In some lives, it occurs just once and disappears when proper care is taken, however, for some, it turns dreadful and recurrance is repetitive too. After a relative of mine had an encounter with Breast cancer four years ago, the whole family was disturbed. For a person who is afraid of Doctors and Hospitals, it was a nightmare. She went through surgery, then chemo therapy and radiation.

She was also attending followup checks every six months post treatment...we all thought it disappeared and the Doctor assured that he found no cancer cells during the followups. A storm struck when the Doctors discovered it had spread to the lungs and she had just an year left. Who could we question? It was utterly difficult for the family to convince her for another round of chemo.,she discontinued the sittings due to no proper awareness. Her family was forced to seek alternative treatments which cudn't take control of a fast creeping disease like cancer..superficially she started looking better,her appetite improved, hair growing again.

Everyone thought those alternative treatments worked wonders on her. Suddenly her speech weakened, her hands and feet lost control. When the family ran for scans, this time it was the brain...she was given only 15days...her close family members saw her body organs giveup week after week and she lost the battle. Not that she gaveup the treatment to live her remaining days peacefully, but she had no awareness about what cancer can do to her. When her body started showing off the changes, she was disturbed, demotivated and then started the speedy deterioration. She rejected to breastfeed her children after their birth to stay slim, had she some awareness about breastcancer, she would have nursed for self-help. She had been using heavy makeup for over 35years daily, including cheap brand lipsticks which are notorious for causing cancer.

Her Hyderabad based family was buying breakfast and dinner everyday for more than 15years from a local road-side tiffin center, prepared in not-so hygienic environment. Cancer is such a disease which is not stationary...it aims to spread and capture. Her family ddnt expect it, probably they ddnt notice when the Doctors warned them of the same. Her story is a serious lesson for every women. Stay away from every wrong step with health..stay away from Cancer !

--pratyusha