The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 10 commandments of a cancer survivor to combat disease

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 25, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

10 commandments of a cancer survivor to combat disease

Neerja wears many hats: wife, mother, partner in business and head of a cancer support group

"Cancer is just a word, nothing more, nothing less. You shall love your chemotherapy, your radiation and your other treatments. They are your friends and companions. You shall not regard your ailment as the sum total of your life but merely part of it. You shall maintain, at all times and in all circumstances, your sense of humour for laughter lightens the heart and hastens your recovery." These are some of the 10 survival commandments that Neerja Malik and her team at the Apollo Cancer Support Group preach to lift the spirits of cancer patients. Neerja Malik talks to Swahilya on what she has done to combat the disease.

The bubbly mother of twins, Shivani and Siddharth in Class X, Neerja was diagnosed twice for cancer.

She did not allow the fear of the disease to eat her up faster than the cancerous cells.

"All through my life, I've had people around me who had intense and immense faith in God." She underlines this as the source of her strength.

Neerja's family has a history of cancer, so much so that her cousins would wonder morbidly, "Who next?" She was diagnosed with the disease, first in February 1998 and again in November 2004.

"It gives the patient an inspiration to see someone who has gone through the horrors, terror, misery, suffering and pain. When they reach a point of no hope, there is someone to say, "Hold it! I know what you are worried about. I have been there."

Secular upbringing

Her secular upbringing comes in handy to cheer up patients: "When I see a Muslim patient, I say La Illahi and there is no time wasted in making contact with the patient. You need no introduction and can do away with superficialities and get to the heart of the matter."

Social worker

Her experience as a social worker and teacher and her gift of the gab have made it easy for her to extend a hand to people suffering from the disease and going through operations. Neerja wears many hats: housewife, mother, partner in the family's leather business and head of the Apollo Cancer Support Group.

She is also involved with Sahaayika, a group that provides for the treatment of economically backward people. So far, Sahaayika has paid for the diagnosis, surgery, six sessions of chemotherapy and 36 radiation sessions for around 400 patients.

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