તપાસ/નિદાન

In 2015, I was getting my sonography done as part of a routine check-up, and I could see the sonologist measuring something on the screen. I immediately thought that there was something in my breast that she was measuring; otherwise, she would not have measured normal tissue. I asked her about it, and she could not gather the strength to tell me that it was cancer. She asked me to call a family member, neighbour or relative, and that's when I got to know that there was something serious in my body.

I asked her If it was cancer. And she was taken aback. She said that I needed to see an oncologist. So I just closed my eyes, and after a minute, I asked her if there was someone in the hospital? I would like to see that doctor right now. It just took me one minute to think that I wanted to fight it out, and I had to fight because I have a beautiful family, so I pulled all my inner strength to think and make my decision to fight it out. When I met the Onco surgeon, it was confirmed that I had stage 2 સ્તન નો રોગ.

https://youtu.be/7Yno-TSV1wI

સારવાર

The first thing that we did as a family was to lock down our emotions. It wasn't decided as such, but it went unsaid. We wanted to get out of it very rationally; we could address the emotions later. That was the time to just focus on the treatment, and it worked for me.

Our emotions took the back seat, and my treatment started. I underwent mastectomy, reconstruction and six cycles of કિમોચિકિત્સાઃ. My Surgery was quite complicated at that point in time because reconstruction was not very popular at that time. It took nine hours for the mastectomy and reconstruction to be done. The first 2–3 days after Chemotherapy were very uneasy and difficult to handle, so I used to take extra precautions in those days. The four cycles of Chemotherapy went very well, but the fifth one was very painful. I got ulcers in my stomach, and I was admitted to the hospital in an emergency as I got some cramps in the stomach. I was so unwell, and I felt like I would not survive, but again, I had to draw my inner strength and motivate myself that I had to survive. Not only that, but I came out of it the very next day and was very happy to be back home.

The treatment went on for seven months, and during those months, I tried to pursue my hobbies, which I had long forgotten. I tried to tick my bucket list, which were the things I could do sitting at home that I couldn't do earlier because of lack of time.

I wanted to learn singing and I did that. Furthermore, I think music is a type of meditation that heals you, soothes you, and takes you away from the Pain. This is one of the healing practice I firmly believe in. I followed cricket, and did many things which I wanted to. I also believe that yoga, love and warmth of the family heals you.

There are two types of fear in cancer. One is physical; you have to go through physical Pain. Whenever I used to have injections or any kind of pain, I just used to tell myself that it's just a matter of 3–4 minutes, and that is the way that helped me get out of my physical Pain. I always used to think that this is the phase, and if you look at it as a book then your journey is not more than a paragraph, so just hold on and chill; it's just for a while. But it comes to mental pain, you need to gather the inner strength, have faith in yourself and look around what good you have in your life.

After I was done with the treatment, I promised myself that I would be healthier than ever. So I try to maintain my diet. Earlier too, I was health conscious, but now I take more care to be healthier, whether it is nutrition-wise, or work-out wise, I take care of myself and do not stress over small things. These are the things I handled, and I think I am a better person now.

યુવરાજ સિંહથી પ્રેરિત

I love cricket, and during that time, the World Cup was going on. Once, during my low moment I saw Yuvraj Singh hitting a six, and till then I didn't have any role model but when I saw him hitting a six, I thought if he can hit a six, then I can definitely make it to be alive again. That was the point I thought that he actually inspired me.

કેન્સર પછી જીવન

My life after cancer has changed completely. Earlier, I was dedicated to my family; now all the cancer patients and caregivers are my family. My life is dedicated to cancer patients, so even today, during the quarantine period, half of my days pass by counseling patients, and organising webinars. I have become very compassionate, fearless and I empathize with each and every person.

મેં 4000 કેન્સરના દર્દીઓ અને સંભાળ રાખનારાઓની સંભાળ લીધી છે

When I used to visit the hospital during my treatment, I used to see so many patients who are not privileged like me in terms of finances, innner strength, the love and care from family and relatives. So I thought to do my bit to help those people, and not just help but emotionally empower those people, so I started counseling them.

Then one fine day, the family members, no one used to answer their questions, and they were very stressed. So I also started my own sessions in the hospital to counsel caregivers, as they suffer silently and are always stressed. Counseling helped the caregivers as well as the patients come out of everything. Then I started organizing events on how to bounce back to your normal life after cancer. There are plenty of other modules that I do right now through webinars and online sessions, but otherwise by going to the hospital.

વિદાય સંદેશ

You do not just survive cancer; you live through it. Those 7–8 months, or whatever your journey is, you try to live those moments. You should just not feel that I am a patient, and don't sit in the corner; do whatever makes you feel happy during those days.

Cancer is not equal to death. Survivors should come forward and say with immense pride that we have survived and so have you. Life is always greater than cancer; one needs to understand that.

ઉર્વી સબનીસ હીલિંગ પ્રવાસના મુખ્ય મુદ્દાઓ

1. In 2015, I was getting my sonography done as part of a routine check-up and I could see the sonologist measuring something on the screen. I immediately thought that there was something in my breast that she is measuring; otherwise, she would not have measured normal tissue. I asked her that if it was cancer? And she was taken aback, she said that I need to see an oncologist. When I met the Onco surgeon, it was confirmed that I had stage 2 Breast Cancer.
2. It just took me one minute to think that I wanted to fight it out, and I had to fight because I have a beautiful family, so I pulled all my inner strength to think and make my decision to fight it out. I underwent a mastectomy, reconstruction, and six cycles of કીમોથેરપી.
3. After I was done with the treatment, I promised myself that I will be healthier than ever. So I try to maintain my diet. Earlier too, I was health conscious, but now I take more care to be healthier, whether it is nutrition-wise, or work-out-wise, I take care of myself and do not take Stress over small things. These are the things I handled, and I think I am a better person now.
4. My life is now dedicated to cancer patients, so even today, during the quarantine period, half of my days pass by counseling patients, and organizing webinars. I have become very compassionate, fearless and I empathize with each and every person.
5. Cancer is not equal to death. Survivors should come forward and say with immense pride that we have survived and so have you. Life is always greater than cancer, one need to understand that.