SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS

I was diagnosed with blood cancer when I was just four years old. I was hurt one day, and that led to some pain. Due to this, my family admitted me to a hospital nearest to where I was living. Here, I was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer. To be more specific, I had acute leukaemia. Being a kid at that age, I didn't have any knowledge regarding this disease. My family was terrified, and nobody knew what to do in that situation. The entire atmosphere made me feel very awkward.

JOURNEY

Initially, I received treatment in the hospital, where I was diagnosed. But I didn't receive the proper treatment over there. The doctors told my parents that my condition was severe and I had to be admitted to another hospital. Later, my family received information about Rajiv Gandhi hospital, and I was instantly accepted. The atmosphere over there was excellent. Two nurses used to stay with me regularly, and the doctors over there used to run routine checkups to make sure I was doing well. I am currently 27 years old and have been cancer-free for around 20 years now. I have started my own business. I run a stationery and gift shop. I'm doing great now, and I'm living my life well. 

THINGS THAT KEPT ME POSITIVE DURING MY JOURNEY

In the hospital, other kids were around my age and were undergoing the same treatment for cancer that I had been taking. Just knowing and being reminded every day that at an early age, we were fighting such a significant disease is what made me feel positive, and now I feel very proud to have come out victorious.

TREATMENT

I did undergo chemotherapy. I'm not sure how many cycles because it's been a long time, so I don't quite remember. And I hadn't taken up any alternative treatment.

LESSONS DURING CANCER JOURNEY

The most valuable lesson I've learned from cancer is that you shouldn't give up, and you should always move forward no matter what happens in life. Cancer didn't snatch my life. Instead, it gave me a new life. For a cancer patient, first is that they should be positive. And the second thing is that they should stay motivated. In my case, my parents used to motivate me.

My parting message for other cancer survivors is that we usually think that this problem is challenging to face and fall into a dilemma, but we have to cope and fight against it if we want to succeed. 

GRATEFUL IN LIFE

I'm very grateful to Rajiv Gandhi hospital's doctors, nurses, and staff. The hospital staff, nurses, and doctors cared a lot about me and supported me. This gave me the strength and confidence to survive cancer. I would like to especially thank Dr Gauri, who has helped me a lot with the staff members. Support is one of the most important things that a cancer patient requires, and I am very grateful to my parents for being my support system during the entire time. Cancer has positively changed my life. My life is moving on smoothly, and I can manage my emotional well-being easily because of what I've gone through. 

AN ACT OF KINDNESS IN LIFE

I have joined a Non-Profit Organisation called the "Cheers to life" foundation. They work to bring about cancer awareness and prevention. The founder of the foundation has gone through breast cancer herself. So, when there are any functions or events held, she tells us about it, which keeps motivating me time and again.

The most considerable stigma around cancer is that it's a hazardous disease and that there's no treatment for it. So, I'd like people to receive as much information as possible about cancer and hope that they receive the help they require.