Diseases desperate grown
By desperate appliances are relieved,
Or not at all.
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet
I was just reading this book " The Emperor of all Maladies aka the king of all terrors " by Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee a practicing physician and Oncologist at the Columbia University and I just realised how less we all knew about the term Cancer. In the recent time I have done some good quality work in the field of cancer but after reading the book I could decipher that all I knew about Cancer is that it was a disease and here is this book which proclaims thats its a bloody civilisation , with history , facts , research case studies and so much to go on with.
At this moment most of you who think I am another literature frenzy book reviewing guy !!you got it all wrong . I am not qualified,neither I have the courage to review a book which recently won the prestigious Pulitzer prize. But I couldn't just sleep with the feeling that so many out there not know about this book as there is a hidden message in every paragraph which finally ends up in one strong belief. So these thoughts quarrelled up my mind the day I finished the book and I had this idea inspired by many of my friends to write a blog on my feelings about its contents.
In the current era of medicines most physicians mainly oncologists follow a code of creating a wall between them and the patients.It is believed that treating the vicious disease cancer becomes more difficult if the doctor builds up any personal relation with the patient & this concept is partially true. But there is something that is very contradicting to this in the book , the author believes that unless a doctor feels the disease plunging inside him every min unless he understands the constant pain of the disease its repercussions it is not possible to cure it, and this happens only when he understands every notion of the patient history , if he knows them he cures them. Though many wont agree to this but the I feel that hope and persistence to fight is something that is a transferable unit which only a doctor can give it to his patient thus its very important to break the wall of distance.
I believe perhaps most of us think that social stigma towards cancer is predominant in our society only,we feel shy to discuss it openly and lack of open awareness is killing us but I was amazed to read in the book that in the mid seventies the famous T I M E magazines editor refused to publish the word " BREAST CANCER it was advised to use the term diseases above the "chest wall". But that really doesn't give us the upper hand in terms of awareness. Over the years when there society grew out of this stigma we kept getting into the slush more and more. Today at this modern age of all app advancements we still dont know 50% facts about our body which makes us more susceptible and vulnerable towards cancer. Once a magazine wrote that most Indians who suffer from cancer at an average 35% of them could avoid if they were aware about certain facts of there life style.
Getting back to the book again ,while reading a set of case studies illustrated in the book I came to know that leukemia the cancer of cells is known as a Orphan disease and is the only liquid type of cancer. The most astonishing fact was that out of 10 suffering from it 7 were kids below the age of 11. So its not only the age that brings the disease. When a doctor was asked what is the solution to leukaemia he answered "hope, faith, will and its for a fact that children suffering from leukemia depict more courage than any one , maybe the disease could not after all take over there innocent minds.
Cancer Cant
We Can
Hope Fight Live
I am not writing any more on the book as I feel the experience of journey to fight cancer can only be felt if we read this book. When every page talks about sentiments, emotions my words cant do justice to it. All I say is the biggest gift we have towards this battle is faith and hope. Till we have those, cancer cant defeat us , it may physically batter us but mentally it cant.
I probably should end this writing abruptly at this stage , because the journey goes undated , the battles continue every single minute, hopes live and all I know is I am going to contribute to fight against the King of all Terrors, I will make an attempt to spread awareness and I know one day we will outcast this dark side of the society.
As I come to an end with this writing and promise to bring more I request to them who didn't like my writing shoot me suggestions and to those who liked do comment and read the book. As i have filled you all with facts let me leave you all at the end with some nice Vikram Seth poetry.
Cold cold friend frost-
Night comes,and I
Am dispossessed.
Most cold cold;
And my youth old
My spirit lost.
I cannot rest.
I walk alone.
Frost burn upon
My every bone.
A Winter Word
Vikram Seth
