Surviving the emperor of maladies

KOCHI: For Sumathi Unni, the revelation that the lump on her breast was malignant was so devastating that the days ahead seemed hopeless and final."The only thought in my mind was whether I would be able to survive the pain in the days to come. But after the surgery, things turned better. That was when I started loving myself more. I realized that so far I had lived for others, and this was the time I had to start living for myself, make myself happy, eat what I like and do what I love," said the survivor.She was one among the many who attended the annual survivors' meet organized by the Canserve Society as part of the World Breast Cancer awareness month at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Edappally, on Friday."Early detection is what helps in most of the cases. People need to come forward and get checked. Cancer can be treated like any other disease," said a survivor and a member of the Canserve Society Suja Nair."Family support is essential. We need immense strength to survive the days of hair loss, of going out and facing people after radiation. Sometimes, you won't be able to take care of your kids, which is even more painful. Such groups of survivors have helped me feel better," said Usha Sasi, another member of the group.For 72-year-old Iype Anthrayose, a stomach cancer survivor, the biggest lesson which his cancer days taught was to not live in fear."Two years ago, when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I had reached a stage where I could not eat and had started vomiting blood. My surgery was successful, yet the days that followed were tormenting. But in the course of it, I learned to fight the disease and stay strong. The only thing I have to tell others is to stay normal and enjoy life," he said.Dr D K Vijayakumar, head of the surgical and gynecologic oncology department, said that there should be more such discussions on cancer to remove the stigma."Not just people with cancer, but those who have survived too are often reluctant to talk about it. But if these people talk openly, it will help those under treatment very much by boosting their hopes. Also, we need to understand that cancer can be just like any other disease, if detected and treated on time," said Vijayakumar. The negative association with death should change, he added.