Cancer Survivors Rewrite Their Future

�Hyderabad: As the world marks World Cancer Day this Tuesday under the theme “United by Unique,” the focus shifts from the disease to the people affected — individuals, their families, and the communities that rally around them. With an estimated 15 lakh people battling various types of cancer in the country, stories of survival bring to light that support, and timely care can rebuild lives and transform challenges into triumphs.

Caroline Sunitha, a mid-management professional at one of the world’s top management institutes and a leadership seminar facilitator, is a survivor. When a routine health check-up reports an abnormality, Sunitha’s world nearly crumbled. “I was shattered when my doctor confirmed I had breast cancer,” she recalls. “But thankfully, it was not in an advanced stage.”

Sunitha describes the roller coaster of emotions that followed — a mix of shock, denial, and then an eventual determination to fight. “It took me only a day to get out of the state of shock and accept my reality,” she says. With surgery, chemotherapy, and the accompanying traumatic side effects, each day brought its own challenge.

Yet, amid the physical and emotional turmoil, the support of well-wishers made all the difference. “Their words, presence, and warm meals changed my perspective about friendships and relationships,” Sunitha explains. “Strength does not come from physical capacity; it comes from an indomitable will.”

Today, Sunitha embraces her “new normal” with gratitude. Even on days when she dons her chemo cap, she carries herself with empathy and resilience. “The pain and scars tell my story; they make me who I am and show that you, too, can overcome this challenge and experience the beauty that life has to offer,” she said.

In another poignant tale of survival, Bharath Kumar — a 34-year-old IT professional — faced a frightening health scare one early morning on August 11, 2024. Waking up in panic after noticing blood while passing urine, he rushed to the physician. In the midst of his distress, Bharath confided in his mother, Jyothi. With two young daughters at home — a four-year-old and a one-year-old — the news was kept within the family to spare his already ailing father and to protect the delicate balance at home. “When the news came, it was shocking,” recalls Jyothi. “We kept it between just me and my son.”

Bharath underwent critical kidney surgery on August 26, which lasted more than six hours. Remarkably, within a month, he recovered completely and returned to work. “Families must stand by their loved ones at all times,” Jyothi advises, underscoring the vital role of family support during such crises.