Life beyond cancer

SUNDAY POST FEB 1-7

COVER STORY

In a country like India where inequality is rising by the day despite rapid economic progress, problems such as malnutrition, poverty and hunger have incessantly agonised its people. In the domain of widely prevalent deadly diseases, cancer is one of the most unavoidable and agonising. The disease which is synonymous with a painful death is the subject of widespread fear and taboos. Even though major strides have been made in treatment of the disease, the deep belief that cancer is deadly persists. February 4 is World Cancer Day, to raise awareness about the disease and encourage prevention, detection, and treatment. The primary goal of its
observance is to reduce deaths. Ahead of World Cancer Day,  DEBINA BOSE  outlines the perceptions of doctors and laymen. One interesting point to note is the changing psychological attitudes that are succinctly captured in the portrayal of the disease on celluloid. Earlier, when the earth-shattering news broke upon the patient that he has  cancer, he would start counting his days in fear and trepidation. Now, however, due mainly to enormous advancements in medical science, patients are showing more confidence in dealing with the disease. They are discussing about it freely with their friends, relatives and colleagues, and are on the lookout for the best hospitals and clinics or the best oncologist around. Famous personalities across the globe who have triumphed against the deadly disease have also raised hope among the public that a fight is worth the effort.

Movies have always been a great medium of conveying emotions, feelings, and reflecting the unspoken truths of life. Some movies tend to transcend the silver screen to motivate us and guide us to a better life ahead. Movies revolving around a protagonist suffering from a physical ailment have always been loved by public eye and cancer is one of the most common subjects on silver screen. Unlike earlier, where the protagonists suffering from the disease would often be declared dead in the end, today many movies portray the actors fighting the disease and emerging successful. From Bollywood to Hollywood here are some truly motivational and inspirational movies based on or around cancer that have elicited the smiles and tears of millions.
Sweet November

Featuring Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves, Sweet November tells Charlize’s story as a woman who’s diagnosed with cancer and who keeps it a secret from the world, living life to the brim. The movie also features Keanu Reeves, a dedicated worker whose life revolves around work and other frivolous priorities and who ultimately misses out on the finer things in life. Their paths meet, fireworks ensue, and Keanu Reeves sees a beautiful life through Theron’s eyes. The ending may dishearten a few, yet the strong message surely resonates.

The Bucket List

Nothing can ever go wrong when you have Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman doing what they do best. The Bucket List shows a couple of terminally ill cancer patients escaping from a hospital ward only to embark on a road trip and fulfill their fantasies. The unconditional urge to conquer your dreams is a goal that enchants everyone, and the movie gives us the much-needed nudge to go ahead and do it! The movie is a soul-stirring experience.

A Walk To Remember

A Walk To Remember is a mushy affair. There’s nothing spectacular about it. No stellar star cast, no artsy cinematography or emotionally-surcharged dialogues. The movie is simple in its own way and tells the story of how two simple teenagers fall in love only to discover that the girl has cancer, and their relationship is put to test. Perseverance and unconditional love is what drives the boy, and the movie, ahead!

50/50

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a gem of an actor, and he’s the lead in this film; so, expectedly, it’s a fun ride. Inspired by a true story, 50/50 is a comedy flick about a young chap, Levitt, who has been diagnosed with cancer and the inner struggles he has to wade through. He overcomes all difficulties in an absolutely heroic fashion.

The Fountain

A tale spanning three parallel universes based thousands of years apart, The Fountain stars Hugh Jackman fighting for the life of the one he truly loves. A movie based on life, death, pain and eventual acceptance, The Fountain succeeds in its trick of mesmerising you in any and every way possible. It gives you a whole new perspective of life and shows you the best way to attain that elusive state of inner fulfillment.

Anand

Considered the most memorable movie in the history of Bollywood, Anand was one of the first movies to be based on a man suffering from cancer. The story begins with Dr Bhaksar winning a literary prize for his book about a patient called Anand. The rest is flashback. Anand, who suffers from cancer appears to be cheerful outside and determined to extract as much pleasure from his remaining lifespan as is possible. Dr Bhaskar his physician tends to Anand in his last days. After Anand dies we can however still hear his voice which was recorded on a tape. Dr Bhakser writes a book on his patient and wins a literary prize for it.

We are family

The 2010 film directed by Siddharth Malhotra and produced by Karan Johar features Kajol, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Rampal in the lead roles, and is an official remake of the 1998 film Stepmom. The story revolves around the mother of three kids who is separated from his husband and how things change after she is diagnosed with cervical cancer and slowly undertakes to find a suitable step-mom for her children.

Ashayein

The 2010 Hindi flick written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor revolves around the story of Rahul Sharma (John Abraham) who is all set to marry girlfriend Nafisa (Sonal Sehgal) after amassing a huge sum in gambling. Life seems to be on a song, until he discovers he has cancer. The film later shows how Rahul does not give up hope and rediscovers life, as he comes across several other acquaintances struggling with the disease and life like him.

A recent report published in the Lancet titled ‘Cancer Mortality in India — a national representative survey’ highlights the major issues confronting cancer patients in India. The lead author of the report, Dr Prabhat Jha says, “In India 600,000 people had lost their lives over the last three years. Among them 400,000 were in the middle age group (30-69) whereas 200,000 people were in the category above 70.”While understanding of cancer is increasing a number of misconceptions still persist. Fortunately, in the past few years there has been some progress in reducing the public’s perception that cancer is a death sentence, and it is finally being discussed openly and publicly.

We can now envision a future where more cancer patients will be cured or treated, and prevention of cancer will occur using rational strategies. However, there remains a disconnect between this reality and the public’s perception of its own personal risk of cancer and what will happen if they fall victim to the disease. Education is obviously the key to changing this situation, but we need to acquire a better understanding of public perception overall, as well as attitudes regarding personal risk and knowledge of options in today’s world.

“Awareness about cancer is a prerequisite for fighting the disease. Earlier, people were not aware about the disease so fighting cancer was difficult. Nowadays people are more conscious about the disease so on noticing the symptoms they immediately rush to the doctor. Earlier, there was a myth that biopsy spreads the disease when in reality biopsy helps to detect the tumour and prevents it from spreading. Oncologists like us also undertake various ways to spread awareness about the disease. We take part in awareness programmes, organise cancer detection camps and take part in cancer marathons. We even bring cancer survivors in front of the public which inspires other patients. All this helps in arousing curiosity among the public to know more about cancer,” said
Dr Sanjoy Das, Consultant clinical oncologist, member of Indian Cancer Society, Kolkata branch.

“Over the last 15 to 20 years awareness among the people about cancer has definitely increased though the fear and taboos surrounding it still persist. With advanced medical facilities and rise in income, patients are now being able to fight the disease and survive it. With treatments like chemotherapy, radiotherapy and even through surgery it has become easier to fight the disease. In India, cervix and breast cancer are mostly common among women whereas among men lung cancer is more prevalent. People are now ready to avail of first-class treatment to fight the disease,” said Dr PB Kar, surgical oncologist, AMRI Hospital, Kolkata.

“My father is suffering from esophageal cancer since the last six months. When detected, the tumour had already spread throughout his lungs so there was no scope of operating it. It is still very hard for us to cope with the reality and though my father’s health is deteriorating by the day, we haven’t given up hope. He has already undergone six chemos and there has been some improvement though anytime he might collapse. In today’s era cancer is no longer a life-threatening disease and I hope with our prayers and efforts, my father recovers soon,” said  Ankur Sarkar, professional

10 brave celebs who fought cancer

The dreaded ‘C’ word can instill fear even in the healthiest of people and all hell breaks loose when the doctor informs that someone has cancer. Here are 10 celebrities who put up a valiant fight against the disease and came out victorious. SP salutes their never-say-die spirit.

Yuvraj Singh

 Yuvraj Singh, the man who hit six sixes in a row, left his fans shattered when he announced he was suffering from cancer. He underwent treatment in the US and often posted updates and photos on social networking sites. While he was battling against this dreaded disease, his fans and perhaps the entire nation joined hands in unison to pray for his quick recovery. He suffered from a malignant tumour known as seminoma which was found between his lung and heart. But Yuvi was victorious in this battle and came back with a roar. He’s been active on the field and also wrote a book about his struggle with cancer – The Test of My Life.

Manisha Koirala 

 Last year, Manisha Koirala of Dil Se fame, fell unconscious and was admitted in a city hospital. After some tests, it was found that the 42-year-old actress was suffering from ovarian cancer. Her treatment took place in New York and she put up a good fight against the disease. She recently posted pictures of herself after her chemo sessions and is raring to come back and start shooting for films. Her doctors too have allowed her to do so as part of her healing process. Her strength and will power have inspired many.

Lisa Ray

 Lisa Ray, who made headlines when she donned a high-cut swimsuit for a commercial two decades ago, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a cancer of plasma cells) in 2009. Though she kept mum about it during her treatment, she gave interviews and blogged about it post her recovery – talking at length about her experience and adopting a positive attitude towards her struggle. She recently got married too in California and showed the world that cancer could not hold her back from doing anything.

Anurag Basu

 Anurag Basu, the acclaimed director of Barfi was suffering from acute promyelocytic leukemia – a type of blood cancer – in 2004. But rather than getting pessimistic about it, he did not let it affect his life and behaved as if he suffered from a common cold and not cancer even though doctors predicted that his chance of survival was only 50 per cent. He even wrote the scripts of Life in a Metro and Gangster during this time and directed some parts of Tumsa Nahi Dekha from the hospital. He put up a brave face throughout his ordeal and came out of it as if nothing ever had happened.

Kylie Minogue

 Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, who also sang and starred in the song ‘Chiggy Wiggy’ in Blue, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005 in the middle of her concert tour. After her treatment, she made a comeback with ‘Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour’. The disease left a great impact on her and she made it a point to spread awareness about early detection through regular check-ups as much as she could. For this, she was even awarded an honorary Doctor of Health Science (DH.Sc) degree by Anglia Ruskin University, UK.

Mumtaz

 Legendry actress Mumtaz who started out as a child actor with Sone ki Chidiya and gave up acting at the age of 26, also suffered from breast cancer. After numerous chemo sessions, she won the battle against cancer at 54. Even that age, she was keen to get back in shape and shed all the extra kilos she had piled on during her treatment. She used to gym, swim, and follow a strict diet to attain a perfect figure. Now 65, Mumtaz still has that yesteryear’s charm with which she had floored so many.

Barbara Mori

 Barbara Mori made her Bollywood debut with Hrithik Roshan in Kites. The film didn’t go down so well with the audience but Barbara was often in the news. But many still don’t know that she is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with cancer in its early stage. Barbara later appeared in a documentary 1 a Minute where she talked about her survival against cancer.

Cynthia Nixon

  Cynthia who is famous for her portrayal of the character Miranda Hobbes in Sex and the City was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 during a routine mammogram. Though initially she was sceptical about letting the media know about her illness, she decided to go public with it years later in 2008 at a television show. Since then, she’s been active in spreading awareness about breast cancer and is the ambassador for Susan G Komen for the Cure – a non-profit breast cancer organisation in the US.

Christina Applegate

 You may remember her as Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) spoilt sister Amy Green in the popular sitcom Friends. Christina Applegate, an American actress, underwent double mastectomy (removal of breasts) after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. Though her cancer was detected in the early stages and only in one breast, she still opted for double mastectomy as her mother too suffered from it and she had an inherited gene mutation which increased her risks.

Devika Bhojwani

 Devika Bhojwani is the vice-president of Women’s Cancer Initiative. She survived breast cancer before starting this initiative. While dealing with it, she kept her thoughts positive and healed herself using reiki and chants. She came to know about her cancer at an early stage when she saw a sign for mammography in a hospital and decided to take it. Her initiative is in Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and it helps raise awareness and funds for breast cancer.