My Story: 'Cancer Taught Me To Cherish Life And Its Simple Joys That We All Take For Granted'

It has been almost 10 years since I received the shock of my life in September 2009. I was diagnosed with stage 3 clear cell renal carcinoma in my right kidney. I went under the scalpel to get my tumour removed. I mustered up the courage to undergo an open unilateral right-sided nephrectomy.

The next few months were spent in my recovery and returning to normalcy. However, lightning struck twice! Six months post my surgery, the disease reared up its ugly head again when I developed a left rib fracture. The subsequent scans lit up like a Christmas tree! This meant only one thing! Chemotherapy!

After almost 6 years of targeted chemotherapy, my doctors were truly instrumental in helping me navigate through another crisis that struck in late 2016 to early 2017.

'Almost All Drugs Stopped Working For Me'

By late 2016, most of the available drugs had stopped working for me, as is the norm once cancer patients outlive the initial predictions. My cancer was acting up and fast! I had a cancerous nodule in my lungs which had initially spread from the kidneys and had remained subdued for years. But with the drugs failing, this nodule started to proliferate, causing me to cough up blood and my lungs flooded with fluid.

I had trouble speaking for even 2-3 minutes at a stretch. I often had to undergo regular fluid drainage from my lungs, which was quite scary! My situation was so dire that my doctors had given me slim chances of making it past the next two months.

Despite the grim prognosis and them playing catch up, my doctors were always trying their level best and suggested that we evaluate an immunotherapy drug as a last resort.

'I Couldn't Stand On My Legs'

It was an extremely costly but highly touted drug that arrived on the Indian shores a few months ago. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when in January 2017, I realised one fine day that I could not stand up on my two legs.

The cancer had spread to my vertebral column, and I was diagnosed with a compression fracture of the T4 vertebrae, which was pressing on my spinal nerves. This had led to the weakness in my legs and was progressively getting worse with each moment, such that there was quite a high likelihood that I would not walk in the future unless operated on.

So, here I was in February 2017, with extremely low odds of surviving a major spinal surgery due to my poor health, let alone walking again! These developments had happened in the backdrop of my son's then-ongoing marriage talks and his impending MD post-graduation examinations. It had been my long-cherished dream to be there when my son was to graduate and when he would tie the knot.

I had to make a decision. Either undergo surgery with very high risks of not making it or not go for it and spend the remaining few months of my life suffering. I decided to take the plunge. But, I could not have done so without the support of my wife and son. Both supported my decision and gave me the courage to proceed with the surgery.

'Got A New Lease Of Life'

I think even the most hardened punters would have skulked away from hedging their bets on me surviving this ordeal! But I did survive! It was such a relief to come out on the other side alive! The surgery was extremely complex, and so was the ensuing recovery period. But, the unbridled joy and relief on my family's faces gave me a new lease of life. I decided to take charge and undertook the arduous rehabilitation period with renewed vigour.

Simultaneously, my treatment with immunotherapy seemed to work wonders! During recovery, I learned to walk again. Oh, the simple joys of life! It was like revisiting my childhood, but only this time, my memories would not be foggy. It is such a simple act, yet something that we all take for granted.

This ordeal taught me to cherish life and its simple joys that we all take for granted. More so, I started looking at my relationships in a new light. I started loving those relationships, my friendships that I had often taken for granted. It was by virtue of having a close-knit support system that I could make it through such a tumultuous time in my life.

Well, has it been all rosy? Most definitely not! But what a ride it has been! It has been a tough 10 years for both my family and me and even my extended family. They had to watch me fight it out from the sidelines without being able to do much about it.

So the question is – am I tired? Yes, I do feel tired after all these years. I am only human. But do I want to go on? Most definitely because it is my life and beautiful and worth fighting for. The bottom line is that though I have cancer, I am still alive and happy.

If you, too, have an inspiring story to tell the world, send us your story at mystory@thelogicalindian.com