MARCH

Point
Out
POINTOUT HEALTH
BEYOND THE SHOCK
»»
Dr. Shyam Agrawal
Doctor by profession, Mrs.
Salina had got news from her
pathologist when she had
been conducting a delivery,
that FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration
Cytology) of her left breast lump had
revealed that it was cancerous. She
had gone into shock, but the operation
at hand could not allow her to sit in a
corner and shiver uncontrollably. A
tremble in her hands would have made
a mother childless, a child an orphan,
or would have obliterated an entire
generation.
She kept her emotions under control
and carried out the operation with every
ounce of calmness she could muster.
She gathered up pieces in which she had
momentarily broken into, and ignored
the now and then invading thoughts of
her children crying at her dead body.
As newborn’s relatives praised her like
a God after she had delivered the girl
through Caesarian, for it was a very high
risk case, and she had managed to save
both mother and infant, Mrs. Salina kept
praying to God for her own survival.
Her husband had died recently in a car
accident and she had to take care of her
two young and innocent children. After
giving the parents a curt handshake
and a fake smile, she went inside her
chamber to find that the thread with
which she had sewn herself was quickly
unraveling.
She took a deep breath, as she
heard the words of her son, “I want
to become a pilot so that I can fly
in the sky,” and her daughter,
“Mommy, in you, I see Papa.”
She wiped her tears with the
report itself and whispered to
an unseen assailant - Breast
Cancer, “Bring it on.” She got
operated on her left breast,
which was removed completely
(in view of multifocal deposits).
Being a female, you are at the
risk of developing breast cancer,
whatever your age is. Higher the
age, higher is the risk.
If you find a lump, then
show it to your oncologist (cancer
specialist) immediately
She had also received post-operative
chemotherapy and lost her beautiful hair
temporarily induced by the side effects of
the sour elixir.
Two years after the shock, she has
now recovered completely and looks
more beautiful than ever because of her
curly hair which had grown back after
the chemo-alopecia.
Not only did she save herself and
came out as a winner, but also settled her
kids and started operating on patients
again, saving many more lives. With
every life she saved, and ever y life she
gave, her will grew stronger, and left
the boundary of self-gratification to
embrace universe of philanthropy. She
started educating her female neighbours,
co-workers as well as patients on how
to detect and overcome breast cancer.
Often, people used to make sad faces
and shake their heads with sympathy,
but she did not break in front of them,
and firmly stated that “I have the cancer,
cancer doesn’t have me. So I should have
all the control and command over it.”
She charged, fought, got hurt, fell, got
up and fought again, to emerge into the
sunlight as a champion.
She helps all women who do, or may
suffer from breast cancer, but the first
thing that she says to any woman that she
helps is, “Sister, it is tough to accept, but
it is a fact that one in every eight women
will be diagnosed with breast cancer in
their lifetime. My advices for you are –
1) Being a female, you are at the
risk of developing breast cancer,
whatever your age is. Higher the
age, higher is the risk.
2) If one of your
female relatives, mother,
sister or mother’s
sister has ever
had
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MARCH 2014