This year we are celebrating world cancer day with the theme “closing the care gap“. In this context, it is a golden initiative launched by renowned humanitarian and socialist, jyotika joshi-project wellness centre. When it comes to fighting cancer, the team of oncologist, paramedical staff and apologist, radiologist-do has a vital role.
However, the biggest source of care in other dimensions can come from cancer support groups, cancer caregivers, family members, friends, alternative medicine experts, counsellors, healing experts and so on so forth. By bringing alternate medicine systems under one roof, jyotikaben wellness centre is a tremendous service for the cancer fighters who don’t have to run pillar from post to find reliable good quality alternative healing therapy.
I am bhupendra tripathi, cancer winner, motivational speaker, national awardee and currently posted as a manager in reserve bank of india ahmedabad. In 2012, i had paralytic attack just when i was about to fly during an on-site assignment of my previous employer (Tata Consultancy Services).
scans revealed last stage non-hodgkin’s lymph oma. I was declared a terminal case with hardly six weeks of survival left with me on this planet. But with the support of the iron lady of my life, my pyari maa, i gatheredall my inner strength and decided to fight twin enemies-cancer and paralysis, till my last breath with a smile on my face. 10 months of radiation, chemotherapy, steroids and physiotherapy-finally yielded. I was declared hundred percent cancer free in 2013.
Naturally to fight cancer, i was using many more weapons than the above listed-the not so traditionally discussed but very important for holistic healing-sudershan kriya, meditation, pranayam, satvik diet, usage of super foods like drumstick powder, turmeric, lemon, gooseberry, coconut oil, wheatgrass, mahamrityunjay mantra, reiki and most importantly, faith in universal forces, attitude of gratitude and training the mind to be happy in all situations without reason! Friends, you can grab more insights from my motivational video and playlist uploaded on my youtube channel-national awardee bhupendra tripathi official.
I feel fortunate to be associated with jyotika joshi in this project and look forward for more interaction with the brave cancer fighter’s and their caregivers! All my love and blessings the super heroes!
When pradeep was first diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all), in may 2015, his doctors didn’t think he’d make it through the first round of chemotherapy. He was initially surprised by his diagnosis because of its rarity since all is the least common type of leukaemia in adults. To make matters more complicated, at the time of his diagnosis, pradeep’s doctors found that he had three different blood clotting disorders.
Despite these challenges, pradeep persevered with a positive attitude. He says, “if you go into a negative headspace during treatment, you’re giving yourself emotional cancer along with the physical disease that is ravaging your body.”
Pradeep remained optimistic throughout four rounds of chemotherapy and nine months of being in the hospital, although he admits he had his dark days. He acknowledged, “if i slipped into a dark place, it wouldn’t be good.” after his first round of chemotherapy, pradeep was surprised to hear from his doctors that there was no cancer present in his body. Even with this good news, pradeep still had to complete three additional rounds of treatment and a bone marrow transplant, which occurred in february 2016.
Pradeep says that before his transplant, “my haematologist told me there are a lot of factors involved in this treatment and they weren’t sure i was going to survive the next four weeks.” however, he drew strength from the love and support of his friends during treatment, who would visit weekly. Pradeep is a musician and a conductor and received lots of support from his friends in the music scene in new york.
In january 2017, pradeep came to sparsh cancer care for the first time, after meeting a fellow conductor who had had the same diagnosis and had used sparsh cancer care’s services. At sparsh cancer care, pradeep joined a sparsh cancer care support group for gay male cancer survivors, led by oncology social worker, william goeren. Pradeep says that “bill is great about keeping the conversation going and pinpointing things people say that they might not realize they said.” pradeep found another home and a source of community in his support group, especially since three of the other men had also had transplants. In the group, pradeep said, “we could commiserate over the cancer things but also put it aside and discuss other things, like boys or life in the city.”
A cancer diagnosis can turn a person’s world upside down, and adjusting to the physical, emotional, and financial changes is often challenging. When harita was diagnosed with an aggressive type of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2010, she says she immediately felt those changes coming.
“it was dramatic, traumatic. It threw me into a lot of stress,” she recalls. At the time, she was living in washington state, alone in an apartment. Her healthcare team recommended a “watch and wait” approach for several years. A few years later, she was treated with chemotherapy.
Time passed and in 2017, she was prescribed an oral chemotherapy medication. Harita says she knew very little about the drug and was shocked when she heard the price. “it’s costly, even if insurance is covering it,” she says.
“It’s life-changing,” Harita says, of the assistance she received. “with the stress that you’re under with the disease, you’re falling apart, and then you have to start stressing about finances. Receiving co-pay assistance took away that horrible additional stress.”
Receiving co-pay assistance also allowed harita to start her treatment before her condition worsened. She had already delayed treatment because of the cost of her medication. “i was supposed to start treatment in november 2017. I delayed treatment until january 2018 because i didn’t have the financial resources to start treatment. That was a stupid thing to do because there was a lot of damage done during those two months.”
“If anybody else is faced with this, don’t be afraid to reach out,” she says. “when i did, friends were right there to help. Talk to the people you interact with within the hospital. Check what resources are available. It’s so critical.”
Harita also advises others who are receiving cancer treatment to research potential side effects of their treatment in advance. “i didn’t know exactly how my body would react, so i didn’t have my environment prepared. Once treatment started, i couldn’t drive, cook or shop, because it affected my back. I was barely able to move, and i didn’t have enough food or the things i needed to manage my pain.”
Eventually, harita signed up for meals on wheels and started using a walker. She cautions others to “learn as much as you can about what could happen, especially in terms of side effects. Understand that there could be grave limitations, line up people who can help you in advance, and simplify your surroundings.”
She also recognizes that coping with some of the physical changes of cancer can be difficult. “it was a really harsh adjustment,” she says. “i used to be a runner, i used to be athletic. Now i’m using a walker every day. I went through a period of accepting that i have reached a dramatic change in my life, and i don’t know what to expect from day to day.”
As harita navigates her new normal, she has learned to pay attention to her emotions and accept help from her family. “i meditate. I monitor my feelings - especially fear. I recently moved in with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandkids. That has been a wonderful change in giving me the support that i need.”
“I’ve lived a long and good life, and i’m grateful for that. Now it’s time to enjoy what’s left.”
During a routine annual physical, my new doctor suggested that if my insurance would approve she would like me to have a ct scan of my chest since i had been a smoker for many years. My insurance did approve it, and in sept 2010 i had act scan. I had an appointment with my doctor the following day, and that was when i learned i had lung cancer.
I was diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC, with metastases to my brain. I had stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for three lesions in my brain, followed by a course of chemotherapy (cisplatin and alimta), and followed by a pneumonectomy (removal of the left side of both upper and lower lobes of my lung). I was placed on an oral chemotherapy medication called tarceva following my surgery because i have the EGFR (epithelial growth factor receptor) mutation. But due to a possible reaction experienced in my eyes, the medication was discontinued. I continue to have routine MRIs of my brain every 2 months, and full-body PET/CT scans every three months. In total, i have had five SRS procedures since diagnosis.
Since i was pretty healthy before diagnosis, the most difficult thing for me has been the intrusion of all the doctors' appointments tests and procedures and the seemingly interminable waiting for results. But an even more difficult thing is watching those i love to deal with each step of this journey. It’s tough to be on this roller coaster ride, never knowing what is coming, but knowing we will have to deal with it no matter what.
I have an amazing, wonderful support system of close family and friends who are at my side through this experience at every turn. I also have an incredible, invaluable network of friends i have gained through my lung cancer support group at Sparsh Cancer Care.
The weekly lung cancer support group has become an integral part of my healing process. The friendships made are priceless, and the knowledge and support shared are invaluable.