Cancer as an event in one’s life forces one to pause, reassess and reflect on our lives and how we have lived and how we would have wanted to. There is a meaningful life waiting for every person who has had a brush with cancer provided, one learns to truly live every moment without worrying about how long a journey it is going to be.
Living a meaningful life is about accepting challenges as they come and giving them your best fight. When you have fought valiantly but are humble enough to accept fallibility, there is nothing that can put you down. When you fight wholeheartedly, you don’t have time to fret over the consequences. And,although every battle might not be won, it is important to remember that your battle is not lost till you- the valiant knight, accept defeat-unwilling to fight back.
Fighting cancer is about being resilient in the face of adversity. It is a lonely battle none the less, but it’s always reassuring to have a well wisher to egg you on.
Your Oncosurgeon’s job, as your well wisher, is to understand your situation, your disease and your expectations and tailor a solution uniquely suited to you. It requires a unique blend of empathy, sincerity, humility, communication,cutting edge knowledge, the very best of refined surgical skills and an insight into disease behavior in the future, to help you in the best possible way.
Dr.Sabyasachi Parida, is a Consultant Surgical Oncologist practicing in The vibrant yet spiritual-City of Temples -Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.