‘You gave us our daughter back’: How a young mom survived lung cancer

“We are at rock bottom,” I told the family. “If this tablet works, things can only get better.” She was barely conscious when they brought her into Jaslok Hospital — breathless, drowsy, oxygen saturation at 80. Minutes later, she had a seizure in the emergency room. A 36-year-old mother of two, she had been misdiagnosed with tuberculosis in her hometown and rushed to us in a cardiac ambulance.

One look at her chest X-ray and I knew this wasn’t just TB. There was a large, mass-like shadow on her lungs but the way she presented — seizure, respiratory failure, rapid deterioration — wasn’t typical for tuberculosis. My instinct said cancer. And we had to act fast.



In India, we unfortunately still see presumptive TB diagnoses far too often — especially in younger patients with lung shadows. In rural and semi-urban areas, a lung infection is often assumed to be TB without thorough testing. This leads to devastating delays in cancer diagnosis. And in her case, that delay could have been fatal.

We rushed her for scans, which confirmed a large mass in her lung and lesions in the brain. Fluid around her lungs was removed and sent for testing to check for cancer cells. We also did a special lab test called immunohistochemistry to identify the type of cancer and ran genetic tests to look for mutations. Within 48 hours, we had the answer: ALK-positive lung cancer.


ALK mutations occur in about three to seven percent of lung adenocarcinomas in India, more commonly in young, non-smoking individuals. But to see a case this aggressive, with multi-organ involvement and a patient already on life support — that was rare.

Still, the diagnosis gave us one crucial thing: a treatment option. ALK mutations respond well to targeted oral therapies. Instead of chemotherapy, we could use a pill that blocks the mutated gene pathway driving her cancer.

It’s not standard practice to start an oral targeted drug on a ventilated patient. There were risks — aspiration, poor absorption, no guarantee of response. But the alternative was to wait, and we didn’t have that luxury. Her family understood. They gave us their trust.

On day four, we noticed her oxygen requirement reducing. That’s when we allowed ourselves a flicker of hope. In those first 48 hours, we weren’t sure she’d make it. It was a race against time.

Within a week, she was off the ventilator. Soon, she was speaking, eating and smiling. Watching her recover so quickly reminded us why we do what we do. Targeted therapies are powerful but seeing such a dramatic turnaround in such a critically ill patient was extraordinary. Starting on a ventilator and being discharged in under three weeks is not something we see often.

Three months later, her PET scan showed a complete response. Her cancer was no longer detectable. When she was discharged, her two children came to take her home. I still remember the way they ran into the hospital and hugged her. The joy on her face in that moment still gives me goosebumps. Her father turned to me and said: “You gave us our daughter back.”


Precision oncology has changed the landscape of cancer care. With access to molecular testing, we now personalise treatment instead of relying solely on chemotherapy. But challenges remain — especially in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Late referrals, financial constraints and lack of awareness often delay diagnoses.

If this woman hadn’t reached a tertiary centre in time, she might not have survived. Today, she is thriving. That’s the message I want patients and families to hear: cancer is not always a death sentence. With the right diagnosis at the right time and the right treatment, we can change outcomes. We can give life back.

By: Dr Jeyhan Dhabar
Dr Jeyhan Dhabar is consultant, medical oncology, at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai. He spoke to Sharmila Ganesan Ram