Five things that Cancer taught me

  Today, February 4 is World Cancer Day! It also marks the second anniversary of my first ever blog post. I was diagnosed in February 2009 with cancer of the right breast. Thanks to timely detection and quick treatment, I am sitting down to pen my thoughts. It has been 8 years since I was …

Quality and time

There was an interesting piece in the Business Standard today called The Cancer Column. The heading caught my eye. The author has beautifully penned her thoughts about her friend Annie who was diagnosed with a malignant inoperable lung tumour which had metastasized to her lymph nodes also. Annie chose not to undergo chemotherapy because of …

The man they call the miracle healer

After a pleasant, quiet stay at Chail, we were driving back home. In the middle of nowhere, we found scores of vehicles of all sizes and shapes parked on both sides of the narrow road. There was a small building with a board outside that said ‘Vaid Ram Kishen’. Just that and nothing else. Parking …

Celebrating my Life… Part 3

When I was diagnosed with cancer of the breast in February 2009, I was shocked but was positive that I was going to beat it. Surgery for breast cancer can either be a mastectomy or a lumpectomy. My surgeon suggested a lumpectomy for me (removal of just the lump as against removing the entire breast), …

Celebrating my Life… Part 2

This post is not the story of my journey but of that of a young girl – a former student of mine. This is a tribute to her bravery in battling and winning! To showcase my respect for her better half (well in this case truly the better half) that had to be expressed yet …

Celebrating my life… Part 1

Today is February 4, World Cancer Day… It was on Feb 23, 2009 that I found a small lump on my right breast. I did not find it when I was doing self-examination but while taking a shower. I met my physician (a South African) in the afternoon who advised me to get a mammogram …