How did it start in my family?
My life was going on smoothly. I had a great family. A loving husband, a happy kid, and parents who were also fit and healthy. I was zooming in on my professional career and was looking for opportunities to expand myself and do more for society as well as my family. I can comfortably say that I did not have any kind of struggle back then. This was the story of my life, almost 2.5 yrs. ago. The infamous Covid-19 pandemic had not struck the world, so it was an open place, though crowded, but open for fun activities and long drives.
My mornings would be for myself, days would go by in the office, evenings with friends in trying to evolve ideas that we could work for extra income and adrenaline rush, and dinners with the family. Weekends were extra enjoyable with friends and outings. A tension-free life I thought. I must admit, there were a few things to worry about, but that’s not who I am. I was having a gala time in my life.
Then came a day in the month of Aug when my mother called me. My grandfather, already in his 90s, was having some health issues and they went to the nearest hospital in Shimla. The doctor cast a doubt that he had Prostate Cancer.
“Prostate Cancer!??”
“Yes. That is what the doctor has suggested.”, my mom told.
“How can that be? Have you seen the kind of place he lives in? He eats the purest vegetables and fruits and drinks the spring water of the Himalayas. Even in his 90s, he walks more than 5 km daily in the hilly region. Such people do not get cancer. Cancer is an infection in people living in polluted environments of modern cities. I think it must be something else. You guys should not worry.” I thought cancer was an infection of some sort. That was my understanding of this devastating disease.
About two weeks later, the same doctor, cast the same doubt on my father. My mom weirdly told me, “Prostate Cancer”.
“What!? Is it the same doctor you guys went to earlier for grandpa?”
“Yes”.
“Oh! He is manufacturing the diagnosis. He has learned a new word, and he is replaying the same for everyone who goes to him. Now I am 100% sure that even what he said for grandpa is completely incorrect.”
“What do we do now?”
“We would go to a proper hospital in Chandigarh and get daddy checked. I am sure it is nothing serious. What’s his age anyway? Just about 70. Look at his dad, he is already in the 90s.”
Two days later, we were at one of the biggest and most famous hospitals in Chandigarh. By the evening we had the diagnosis in our hands. My father was diagnosed with Stage II Prostate Cancer. We were back to my place in the city of Hyderabad and immediately looked for good treatment for my dad.
When we met the doctor, I remember, asking him some of the silliest questions ever.
“What kind of bacteria or virus cause Cancer? My parents have lived in Himachal all their lives and mostly ate absolutely fresh and natural vegetarian food. How can my father get this infection?”
“Cancer is not an infection. It’s your own body cells turned against your other body cells. There are many reasons behind this mutiny, but nothing can be said for sure.”
“I looked up the meaning, and it says there is a tumor in his body. Can we remove the tumor and get rid of it?”, I asked the doctor with a witty look on my face. I had done my reading.
“Yes, precisely that is what we are going to do. But that won’t be enough. If the cells adjoining the tumor may have got affected due to cancer, they may develop into another tumor later on. We need to make sure we do not leave behind a single cancer cell back.”, the doctor replied.
“How do we do that?”, I asked again.
“We will use radiotherapy on the cells adjoining the surgery area to make sure all cancer cells are killed.”, he said.
“And how do we know how many cancer cells are affected”, I asked immediately.
“Excellent question. The PET-CT scan would help us determine the location of cancer-affected cells. Using the scan reports, we will plan the areas for radiotherapy. After the radiotherapy, Cancer would be as good as gone.”, telling this, the doctor leaned back in his chair with a smile.
“How would be the quality of life after the surgery and the radiotherapy?”, I asked my final question before taking a call on the dates of the surgery. My parents were also listening to our conversation silently and curiously.
“It is a medical procedure with a high rate of success. Your dad is not even 70. He should have a very good life after the surgery. He would be able to do everything after the surgery in the same way he was doing before the surgery.”, the doctor told.
We quickly decided on the dates of the surgery and radiotherapy and got up from our seats to leave. As we started to move out of the room, I got another question.
“Do women also get Prostate Cancer?”, I asked innocently.
“What?”, the doctor was in splits. “No. The prostate is the male organ. Women get Breast Cancer. You need to do some more reading, I guess.” Later, as the treatment of my father progressed, I learned new aspects about cancer and several Dos and Don’ts.
What is Cancer and how to prevent it?
Cancer is the abnormal, unwanted, and uncontrolled growth of certain cells in the body. The growth may be benign or malignant. When in the malignant form, it can affect the functioning of other organs of the body and can become deadly.
Cancer grows like a tumor in one organ, grows within the organ, affects the adjoining tissues, and then spreads to other organs. The rate of this growth and spread depends vastly on the type of cancer.
Cancer happens because of changes in the 3+ billion genomes and gene combinations in our bodies. Specific proteins in the genome may trigger specific types of cancer.
When the tumor is localized, it is easy to remove the tumor itself. When cancer affects secondary organs, it becomes difficult and may require surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of the three for the treatment.
Cancer cannot be treated, but it can be contained and reversed to a maximum extent. Cancer survivors are free of cancer but live under the threat of recurrence anytime again.
“Prevention is better than a cure” is the best cancer treatment. But, it is a fact that nothing much can be done to prevent it. There are suggestive ways to prevent cancer, but none are scientifically approved. Some of the ways to prevent cancer include the following.
- Know your background and set up a watch (screen yourself regularly)
- Eat a healthy diet
- Avoid adulteration in the food, such as non-organic fertilizers
- Maintain a good and active lifestyle
- Avoid polluted areas, like areas with air pollution or water pollution
- Ensure adequate vitamin and mineral levels are maintained in the body
- Avoid tobacco, alcohol, and other intoxicants
- Avoid too much direct skin exposure to the Sun
One of the most significant ways to prevent cancer is to keep a watch. Some people are more prone to cancer than others because they have had similar cases in their families. Although it is not completely scientifically proven, the theory says that cancer does run in the family’s bloodlines. If your family has had a known history of cancer, you are at a larger risk already. Instead of waiting for the news to come one day, keep screening for cancer regularly. A medical practitioner can help in deciding upon the frequency of screening.
How did we feel about it?
Detection of prostate cancer for dad and grandfather, almost at the same time, was a heartbreaking incident for my entire family. My siblings and I sprang into action. We were all together for his treatment. We had crazy feelings about this entire incident. We started contributing to the treatment in every possible manner we could.
So far, my dad had been the caretaker for all of us. When he was around, he would be the one taking care of what to eat, when to eat, whether everyone is fit or not, and things like that. That is how he had been since our childhood. Always caring for us and others. He was always in service mode for everybody.
Now, it was our turn to pay him back in the same way. Unfortunately, what he could do so effortlessly all his life, took a lot of effort from our side. Probably, it is easier to take care of your kids than your parents. In any case, we put our best foot forward and saw through the entire treatment process.
It was a great success. The surgery was successful. The healing period passed off nicely with a speedy recovery. It was followed by a 6-weeks long radiotherapy session. On a side note, just as his radiotherapy started, the entire world was struck by the infamous Coronavirus followed by a global lockdown. In less than a year, my daddy was declared free of prostate cancer and leading a normal life.
The best part is the way he handled himself. “Ah! That’s nothing. I am worried about my dad, how is he going to be fit and fine?”, these are the words of my daddy.
“Can you help me set up the alarm on my watch? I need to exercise 5 times a day to make sure incontinence caused by the surgery is controlled effectively and immediately.”, my dad told me 5 days after his surgery. Incontinence is a major side effect of prostate surgery. His oncologist was very pleased with his recovery.
At no point, was my dad upset or negative about him having cancer. I would say, he fought it like a silent warrior and continues to lead an excellent and normal life.
We had panicked after listening to the words: Stage II Cancer. It was too much to take. We had zero understanding of cancer. Cancer was a disease that happened in movies or to people having a not-so-good lifestyle. The definition of a not-so-good lifestyle included the use of tobacco, alcohol, junk food, non-vegetarian food, stress, bad behavior, anger, breathing in polluted air, drinking poor quality water, and more. My daddy did not fit into any of these. So, how did he get this? Maybe it was in his genes. After all, my grandfather also got it.
The road to victory
I must say that the road to the victory against cancer begins from the mind. If the patient is prepared to fight it and defeat it, no one can stop. Caregivers play a very important role in the entire fight. Caregivers are the ones who set the environment of the battleground. Even a hospital room can be well lighted up, not by the lights in the room, but by the mood in the room. Caregivers can be whimpers or warriors. It matters a lot.
From my father’s experience, I learned the 4 pillars of the victory against cancer are, as follows. <To be updated shortly>