From Bilkish Tejani:
I’d like to share with you my long journey,
from fear to FAITH.
It was 1996, there was a cancer check up at our community
centre, so my sister and I went for it. She was 38 & I was 29, we were
being cautious and proactive. Two of our aunts (masis) were cancer survivors. I
was confident that medicine had progressed enough that one needn’t worry about
this disease any more.
After a couple months my sister left for US, she was shortly
diagnosed with breast cancer. We were concerned about her but not worried, we
thought that she was in a country where she could get the best possible
treatment & she would be fine soon.
I realised how wrong I was when I saw
the ugly disease up close. Her mastectomy and reconstruction took ten hours in
the OT. The medication, radiation and chemotherapy left her drained and in
constant pain & nausea, she of course lost all her hair, she would never be
able to pass a single motion without a laxative.
After a year of my sister’s
treatment, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and she passed away within a few
months of a severe cardiac arrest. Around the same time my sister had a relapse, and this time it
came with a vengeance, leaving no time for us to mourn my mother. It was a
galloping one, reaching her lungs and finally her brain within months.
Those
were the toughest two years of my life, practically every day was spent in
anxiety and tears. We brought her back to India and tried everything from
Ayurvedic to urine therapy, nothing worked, She passed away in 1999, a year
after my mother’s passing.
I was shattered, scared, and very angry; also
fearful for me and more so for my daughter who was all of 5 years. I was so scared
that I could not even bear to say, hear or read the c word. All doctors told me
that with a history like that I was sitting on a time bomb which could explode
anytime, the only option was regular check ups.
After a few years two of my
younger cousins were diagnosed with breast cancer, one of them passed in 2008
(inspite of the mastectomy & chemo) leaving a 4year old child and a
devastated family behind. I had dodged the bullet, but did not know for how
long. It probably was matter of time till this nasty thing caught up with me.
To say I was scared is an understatement.
On being coaxed, I reluctantly went
for a Pap smear test but never went to collect the report; I did a mammography
and felt embarrassed, humiliated and completely violated. I never wanted to
enter that clinic again.
I took to praying, sincerely with all my heart. I
think my prayers were answered when I came in contact with THAC in 2010. It was
to help us with my husband’s weight issue, but his sinusitis (deviated septum,
polyps) and eczema got cured in the bargain. (That is a story of miracles for
another time, which reinforced our belief in the tremendous healing power of
the body)
That day, sitting with Anju for our counseling, was serendipitous -
we had found unexpected Joy and much needed Hope. We took to her
recommendations like fish to water, and saw magical results in my husband’s
health. I soon sighed up for the 9 week course and got answers that were
simple, profound and made complete sense.
Faith, Awe and Gratitude had replaced
my fear & anxiety. I was cured forever, of this most dreadful villain and
achieved a level of Nirvana. It was a fairy tale end to my fearful 14 years - happily every after, grateful ever
after.
We haven’t taken any medication or undergone any tests in the last 8
years. I say this with utmost humilityš
No words can ever express the
extent of gratitude I feel towards Dr. Venkat, Anju and the entire THAC
community. I have learnt to live in
Awareness, Harmony & Gratitude - in the spirit of Dr. Venkat’s words ‘All
is well, All is One.’š
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