Battling the Odds: Survival Story of a Cancer Patient

Hi. My name is Devika Mukharjee. Today, I am writing here about the worst phase of my life. How from an independent working woman and a mother of a 6-year-old, I turned into a jobless dependent being that couldn’t take care of her child! But this phase taught me how strong I was. I won’t say I am glad this happened, but I think it was the kind of phase which helped me get my priorities straight. Here is my story, the story of a ‘Cancer Survivor’.

Born and brought up in Kolkata, I was always a happy go lucky kind of a girl. After my initial studies and getting a job, I was married to a stranger named Karan. I was married at a young age, and it wasn’t the kind of marriage that I wished for. Karan was a nice person, but he was far from the guy which I dreamed of. I couldn’t feel the spark. I somehow convinced myself that all marriages are like this and falling in love is just in the movies. Soon we gave birth to a princess, and I couldn’t have been happier (except the part where I wasn’t with the man of my dreams).

The Diagnosis

Everything was going fine until the day I visited a hospital to get my chest pain check. The doctor took longer than expected and I cursed him for taking so much time in examining my reports. “It’s just a bloody chest pain, give me something, and relieve me,” I yelled at him in my mind. After reading my reports as seriously as he would read a prenup agreement, he uttered the worst words that I have heard till date.

He told me I had lung cancer. I started laughing, but tears were flowing from my eyes. It was like; one part of my mind accepted this fact while the other part was telling me that the doctor must be incompetent. I told him to re-check it again and again. I didn’t smoke, ate healthy, did yoga, and was as fit as a woman of my age can be. But one doctor can be incompetent, not five!

The Fate

After the denial stage, came the anger. I was angry at God, my family, my friends, and myself. But more than this, I was angry at my fate. I used to think what I did to deserve this. I was a happy child who did the best to make her parents happy. I even married a stranger for their sake. I was always loyal to my husband, and I was always there for my daughter.

Above all, I was always a believer in God. And it wasn’t an easy phase for my family either, seeing me like this! But this phase told me how much my husband loves me. He was my rock! No one else took care of me the way he did. I am writing this story today just because of him.

The Treatment

After the anger, came the bargaining phase. My husband’s support made me realise I can battle it. We started looking for good doctors and took whatever came to our way. Honestly, we both were looking for a doctor who could promise me the longest time. Countless hospital visits and many doctors later, we realised that hospital hopping wouldn’t get us anywhere. So, we settled with Mr Joshi, a gem of a doctor. He started my treatment immediately.

While I had my chemotherapy sessions, my daughter awaited along with my husband outside. The worst part was, none of us knew how long I had. Every night before sleeping, I used to hug my daughter thinking I might not get a second chance. That’s when the depression hit me!

Cancer is a soul-crushing disease. It takes all your energy and willpower. More than that, it causes a major blow to your finances. Thankfully, in my case, I was fortunate enough to have a health insurance which covered cancer. This saved us from spending lakhs of rupees on the treatments which couldn’t even give me assurance of life. Had I been without this insurance, I might have stopped the treatments. I didn’t want my disease to affect the studies of my daughter, or the living situation of my family, as a matter of fact. That’s how expensive the treatment of cancer can be.

Having a husband as stable as a rock and cancer insurance plan to support my treatment, I moved to the fifth stage of the grief – acceptance. I accepted the fact that I don’t have long to live, so I tried to be happy, for the sake of my daughter and my husband.

The Miracle

Then came the day which had the ‘most painful morning’ and the ‘most peaceful ending’. The chest ache which I experienced the first day came back, only ten times worse. It was the morning I saw my entire life flashing in front of me. My husband rushed me to the hospital where I was immediately admitted. That day I literally felt heartache. Doctors rushed to see me as they weren’t expecting my cancer to grow this fast. I was surrounded by doctors and nurses, tests were being done, and for the first time in my life, I saw my husband crying. The man who stood like a pillar the whole time was crying against the wall. This was the first time I hated God.

But seems like God had other plans. My chest pain wasn’t related to my cancer; it was just a nasty bubble of gas which created blockage inside. And then I saw my doctors smiling. The test results were back. My doctor told me that my cancer has shrunk to a significant level and there’s a good chance that I would come out of it soon. They advised me to continue chemotherapy for a while. Doctors still don’t know how my cancer shrunk to this level, but it did.

Today, my cancer is completely gone, but I am still recovering. I can do most of my tasks on my own, but too much exertion is still tiresome. But I am happy that I can cook and feed my 8-year-old. As far as my husband is concerned, cancer made me fall in love with him. I judged him wrong, he might not be the expressive kind, but now I know how much he loves me.

From being scared of going to sleep every night to taking care of my family, I have come a long way. This was my story. A story which should give you hopes, if you are going through something tough. Remember, even the darkest of nights are followed by a beautiful morning. Just never lose hope!