Of Leaders and Losers- 2. Diagnosed with cancer – So what? I can fight it-Part III (concluded)

(contd from the previous post)

Anita had a passion for teaching.  She completed her Ph.D. and taught at a University.  She was a popular teacher and was well-respected in the academic community. 

In recognition of her performance, the State Government even honoured her with the ‘Best Teacher’ Award on Teacher’s Day.

She had a consistent pain in her right knee.  She consulted a normal doctor.  She felt better and went about with her work.  After a few days, it recurred.  She consulted an orthopaedician this time.  He administered some pain killers; it got worse.  After a series of investigations, he declared that she suffered from arthritis and prescribed medicines accordingly.

Anita seemed to be improving.  After a few days, she got some pain in her right thigh.  She went back to the orthopaedician who made her take an x-ray and found nothing wrong.  He referred her to a neurologist, who subjected her to further investigations and prescribed some nerve-strengthening medication.

When it didn’t work for long, the neurologist referred her to another orthopaedician.  This specialist advised her traction for pain relief, which was momentary.

Well wishers, who learnt of her prolonged pain, advised her to go for a thorough check up at some famous hospital.  Anita, however, believed in the quality of medical services in her town.  She continued with the traction, but noticed that the duration of relief got reduced over a period of time.

Finally, she visited yet another orthopaedician who made her go through an MRI test and told her that she could be suffering from bone degeneration, or bone TB as an optimistic possibility, or cancer, as a pessimistic one.

Anita took it positively.  She went to a bigger city, and produced the reports. Biopsy was the next course of action. The first report was negative.  The family rejoiced.  But the doctor who performed the biopsy insisted, ‘Of what use are the three decades of my experience if I can’t differentiate between cancerous growth and bone degeneration?’  Anita had to go through the pain of one more biopsy.  She did not complain of it, but took it as an opportunity to learn about cancer.  The report on the second one indicated that the sample size was inadequate.  By this time, the pain which originally started in her knee, had spread to her abdomen and waist.  The biopsy doctor persisted.  This time a larger sample was taken and sent for examination.  Meanwhile, Anita’s family was worried.  ‘They say cancer cells multiply in no time.  If it were indeed to be cancer, is valuable time getting lost?’ they wondered.  One of Anita’s children, Rama, mentioned it to a friend of hers who assuaged her fear thus: ‘In all probability, it is not.  Even if it is, it could be in the initial stage.  Let the diagnosis be complete.  Don’t worry till then’.

The result came.  And the doctor was right.  It was positive.  And in the fourth stage.  It would be difficult to survive.  Even if one would survive, the quality of life would lessen.  Anita was an optimist, and she preferred treatment to palliative care.  She had the dream of writing a research book.  Unless she was cured, how could she think of travelling across Andhra Pradesh to collect the data?

Her good nature brought her wishes and prayers from all those she knew.  During the painful time of diagnosis, she was cheerful.  In fact, Rama’s doctor friend, on talking to Anita, messaged thus: ‘I am sure aunty will come out of this ordeal with flying colours.  Her positive attitude will see her through’.

Anita wore her smile all through the radiation sessions.  In due course, there were side effects – diarrhoea, fever and loss of appetite.  The doctors gave a break before the second round began.  At this stage, a U.S. based doctor relative came to India to visit her.  He told her family that it would be a matter of a few days. 

The family found it hard to accept.  They were hopeful that, at the end of the painful treatment, she would be cured.

Unaware of this, Anita continued to be cheerful.  On one day, she told her family in a slur (she had developed this sometime in between): ‘I had a wonderful dream last night.  I saw a beautiful girl of about sixteen years, and with a divine glow call out to me on the banks of the lake.  I had a feeling it could have been Mansarovar.  She said to me, ‘Eat this fruit and you’ll be cured’.  And held a fruit out to me.  I was so happy seeing her that I said, ‘Amma, I am cured by seeing you.  I don’t need to eat anything’.  I wonder if it could have been Goddess Parvathi in the form of Bala Tripura Sundari’.

Anita also told her family that her pain had lessened.  She felt her mouth was parched.  Her son gave her a glass of buttermilk.  She took it and sipped a little.  She began to breathe hard.  The kids called the doctor and some elders as well.  She said to the doctor, ‘Please give some encouragement to my kids.  They were worried despite my assurance that I was feeling better’.  ‘Sure, I will’, said the doctor.  Anita was glad.

The doctor came out of Anita’s room and broke the news.  ‘It’s in the final stage.  No wonder she’s feeling less pain.  The body system is shutting down.  Please inform all the ones you want to’.

All her siblings were older than her.  They and their spouses were in tears that the youngest one, the apple of their eyes, was going to leave them soon.  Her children imbibed a bit of her positive attribute.  They knew life would be hard without her, but also thought that she deserved deliverance from pain and suffering. 

Amidst all the loved ones, Anita passed away late that night.  She is physically not around, but definitely resides in the hearts of all the people whose lives she touched.

* * * * * * * * * *

Thankfully, the stigma attached to cancer is getting diluted by the spread of awareness of the disease.  But, surviving the disease means living through a lot of pain.  I hope readers will lend some moral support to any such patient they come across.

* * * * * * * * **(concluded)