Life with or without Cancer continues……by VK Gupta
Life with or without cancer continues, and my belief has been further strengthened in the last one year that one should enjoy life fully without worrying about the future.
Cancer is curable, but one has to go through long-drawn medical treatment for recovery. During this period, besides doctors’ guidance, one needs support from family and friends who play a major role in the recovery process. Cancer survivors cope with their diagnosis, treatment, and life with or after cancer in different ways.
In September 2025, my normal food intake through the food pipe started reducing, and the endoscopy suggested by the doctor showed that there was cancer in the food pipe, and weight loss became an immediate problem.
After discussions with a number of persons, we opted for Tata Cancer Hospital, New Chandigarh, for treatment. We approached the hospital for treatment with optimism, without fear and uncertainty. On the very first day, a pipe was inserted for intake of liquid food, and it was found that we were on the right track.
The oncologist doctor informed me that cancer treatment uses chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to remove or control cancer cells. In chemotherapy, special drugs kill fast-growing cells throughout the body, while in radiation therapy, high-energy rays destroy cancer cells in a specific, targeted area. Finally, surgery is done to remove the tumour and nearby tissues.
In the next four months, I went through all three steps, including robotic surgery, which was successfully performed. Family involvement, doctors’ and friends’ support played a vital role in helping me to navigate the one-year journey. Chemotherapy and radiation caused fatigue and minor numbness in my feet, while surgery introduced harpic in around the right eye and pains in parts of the body.
Managing recovery times and daily travel for treatment involving chemotherapy and radiation adds stress to normal routines. I knew my doctors and supporting staff there cared about my well-being, and I was not just a number for them.
During this period at Tata Cancer Hospital, New Chandigarh, Dr. Alok Goyal, Dr. Nishit Srivastva, Dr. Shreyas, Dr. Shiwani, Dr. Sahil Mittal, Dr. Aishwarya, and other doctors with supporting staff helped in speedy recovery.
Many things helped me during treatment, especially family members and friends who visited the hospital and home. It helped me show up with resilience during treatment. The most hit persons in this treatment are the attendants, who have to move across the various departments in the same building, besides replying to guests’ queries.
A nurse said that most of the patients come here with sad faces, and there are few who smile during treatment. Once, during lunch hours in the canteen, I found that Director Ashish Gulia was taking rounds to check the cleanliness there and in the toilets, which showed his sincerity. When I was lying on the stretcher before the operation, a group of nurses were discussing the possibility of some food chain outlet on campus for the young generation.
Just before the routine check-up after three months, I lost my voice substantially, and doctors found that one of my vocal cords had been pressed, and I have throat cancer. The doctors started chemotherapy, and now two rounds of six chemotherapy sessions each have been completed. Hopefully, in the next OPD, everything will be clear.
I may live for five minutes, five months or five years, and that should not deter my strength to fight. I am now a more patient person, patient with myself and with others. Now that at this age, every day is just another blessing.
October 8, 2026.
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VK Gupta, Media Advisor, All India Power Engineers Federation, and cancer patient.
ervkgupta2@gmail.com
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