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Cancer Cured my Smoking

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Kamalji, Feb 10, 2016.

  1. Kamalji

    Kamalji IL Hall of Fame

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    Cancer Cured My smoking

    This is an entry i have sent for something that came in the papers. that is for cancer survivors, rather winners, the last day was today , the 11th of Feb. organized by DNA, the newspaper, and Hinduja hospital, coincidentally that was where i was operated upon. i posted it just today over there, and here too.

    Most of this i have posted a few years back here, just added a few tpuches here and there. No jokes this time, more in the next few days .


    ===============================================


    I got bladder cancer due to smoking. I used to smoke 25 to 30 ciggarettes a day for the last 30 years. Cancer cured my smoking habit. I stay in Jaipur and I was advised to go to Mumbai to seek further advise.


    My mother and brothers stay here. I am a mumbaite, the first 30 years were spent in Mumbai, the next 30 in jaipur.The cancer was detected in Jaipur, and I family doctor there suggested that since I have family in Mumbai , I go there to see what is to be done.
    We met many oncologists in all the big hospitals here, but somehow I did not take to them. All suggest radical surgery, but they did not sintill confidence in me. When I asked them about the cost, they were not fortright.

    Our family doctor in Mumbai ,Dr.Anita Gidwani, Bandra, suggested that we see Dr.Hemant Tondgoankar at Hinduja Hospital, Mahim, the oncologist there. She called him up, they speaking after decades, as they used to study in the same college. So my cancer was responsible for their meeting again., like a Manmohan desai movie story.

    I and my wife took to him immediately. Soft spoken, down to earth, he explained as a friend would, he said, that I would lose my bladder, lymp nodes, and prostate, but life would be fine otherwise. We agreed, and he gave us the admission date as 15[SUP]th[/SUP] April 2012, and we were Ok with it.

    But look at the irony, 15[SUP]th[/SUP] April is our Anniversary, a cruel irony eh ! We cut a cake at home and came to hospital at 4 pm, and got operated the next day , the 16[SUP]th[/SUP]. I protested when I was taken in a wheelchair, I could walk, but they said hospital procedure. Well u must look sick u see, u cant have a grinning man going in for a 8 hour operation.Well well.

    And I had a band on my wrist, which was checked 10 times, which irriated me. I mean I was th e only fellow around, and they wanted to send me to the right operation room eh ! it was comic, like the Hindi movies.

    Inside the theatre, it was damn cold, and it looked like a movie scene. Bright lights, a dozen doctors and nurses. And Dr. Tondgoankar mae me feel easy. And then I heard it, a FM radio playing, with that lovely song, Hum do premi , duniya chod chale, from the seventies.

    So I joked with Dr.Tondgoankar, how can u listen to songs while operating.Soon there will be rivers of blood all around? I thought he smiled , I could see a twinkle in his eyes.He said , Mr. Mahtani what do u do, I said I export garments. He said, don’t u listen to music when u work, I said yes I do. He said this is work for us too. I said, Doc, I eat sandwitch too when I work, so ? Then I don’t know what happened, till I opened my eyes in the ICU !!!!

    My wife’s birthday too , 24[SUP]th[/SUP] April was spent there, she celebrates it with Sachin Tendulkar. But it was a death day for someone else, tha t is Sheena Bora, who was kidnapped and murdered the same day , just a few kilometers away in Bandra !!! So were almost witness to a murder eh ! We got discharge on 29[SUP]th[/SUP] april, a good 2 weeks there.

    But I must say, Dr. Tondgoankar used to come twice every day, and smile, and make me feel that I am normal. He used to himself remove the dressing, and redress, even when he had a whole team of half a dozen docs and nursing staff. The aftercare at Hinduja, is just too good. Thanks to all the nursing staff, the cooking staff, who made special food for me, fresh, and to everyone there.

    Then I had chemotherapy at Tata Hospital, some 9 sessions in all. Before the first one started , I asked the doctor, Dr. Kumar Prabhash, when I will become bald like the rest of the others sitting there, and what other side effects will happen, I had heard scary things u see, and he told me smilingly, that nothing will happen to u, Mr. Mahtani. I said, why, and he said, because u are joking and smiling all the time, and cancer stays far away from guys like u. And u are the only chap, who comes , tells me a whats app joke, and makes me smile, while all others who come here, ask me just one question, doctor how long do I have to live ?

    I said, Doc, how long I will live, no one knows even you. But all I want to know ius, what can I eat, for I am a foodie, and as long as I am alive, I would love to eat what I want. He said during the chemo, u have some limitations, but after this is over, u are back to normal. Wow I said, and that is how it turned out.i did not feel any effects of chemo, my hair remained , just thinned out a little maybe, no vomiting, no nausea, in fact the day I had chemo, I was more hungry , and active.

    So I was in Mumbai for close to 5 months, and I am deeply grateful to my wife, mom who was 80 then, my brothes and cousins, who were a great source of strength, without whom life would have been hell.They kept me entertained and never made me feel that I am a patient, and bore with my moods during the period. Thank u guys.

    It has been 4 years now to the operation, I am fine, just that I changed my clothes from trousers and shirt, to Kurta Pajama, so that I can hide the Euro bag hanging from the waist. And I look el;egant, so say the pretty babes out in the park where I walk every morning.And along with a Khadi jacket, I look like a politician, and at some wedding I have seen many rich guys bowing to me, as I enter, thinking I am some powerful politician, and it tickles me no end, and I too fold my hands to them with a solemn face.HAHA

    I don’t like to wear the seat belt in the car, and I have been caught in jaipur. Well I just pull the car aside, lift my kurta , tell the cop, sir I am a cancer patient, and this seat belt I cant wear, as it goes over my euro bag, and burst it, and they let me go without a fine. Nice cops eh !

    Every day the first thing I do is pray to the lord, to thank him for each day of my second life. And I love whats app jokes, I have so many groups, I send non veg jokes to some, veg to some and so on. I blog also, and I have my fans, all over the world, been blogging since a decade.

    Yes I cant have sex, but so what. I did have 58 years, and as they say, all good things must end some day eh !no regrets, yes I cant sit down on the floor, or bend, or pick a heavy thing, but those are small sacrifices for a new life.

    And cancer has sort of made me a mini celebrity. At parties, people come up to me, saying we are sorry, but u don’t like a cancer patient. I said what am I supposed to do at 62, have a stick in hand, look thin and sick eh ! I am overweight, at 105 kgs, rather in the new way they say, u look healthy, HAHA.

    I am loving life, and I am living it. I left smoking , and alongwith it I left drinking too, I was a regular drinker, but I don’t ,miss the two, I have got used to life without them. And yes no sex too, but again fine. But I am living life to the hilt, walking in the park, eyeing the pretty babes, young enough to be my daughters, its like, why look at babes when u cant do anything, but then eyes are for looking, right ?

    Our park is circular , just outside my home in jaipur. I walk anti clockwise, and it is a 4 minute round at my speed, so I get to see all the ladies twice every round, and I take 6 rounds, so 12 times we cross our paths. I appreciate their beauty, for I feel they come dressed up and made up, all for me, and they may feel bad if I keep my eyes down, so to o0blige them , well I appreciate their beauty.

    Life is good, God couldn’t have been kinder to me.

    KAMAL MAHTANI
     
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  2. vaidehi71

    vaidehi71 IL Hall of Fame

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    Sir,

    Glad that you had recovered. You had been through an ordeal and still have this sense of humour, wish I had sense of humour like you.

    You have quit smoking, better late than never.A very nice write up and Congrats for quitting smoking.

    Take care,
    Vaidehi
     
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  3. Balajee

    Balajee IL Hall of Fame

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    So cancer is injurious to smoking eh? People like you with strong will to live can make the big C beat the dust. After reading this I think censors should have banned Rajesh Khanna's movie Anand because it shows such a funny fellow dying in the end. I know people who have lived for decades after cancer was detected and died of old age. BTW do you sing Jawaniyan yeh mast mast bin piye in your mind at least when you see the PYTs. My bad luck I only see oversized aunties in the park and tremble at the idea that they might be making a glad eye at a slim and trim guy like me.
     
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  4. sugugiri2010

    sugugiri2010 Gold IL'ite

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    Nice write up sir,

    I loved the way u made the title. Glad that your fine now. I wish your experience will bring awareness for the other smokers too.Thanks for sharing.
     
  5. rgsrinivasan

    rgsrinivasan IL Hall of Fame

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    Kudos to your spirit Kamalji.
    This is one of those rare gems that I will read many times. -rgs
     
  6. sangeethakripa

    sangeethakripa Gold IL'ite

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    Kamalji

    No wonder you are great.. Your attitued is amazing. This snippet of yours is worth reading several times to grasp your positivity. Cheers. :cheers
     
  7. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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    Dear Kamalji,
    What a spirit and attitude that you have towards life!!!!! Admire you from the core of my heart. You are a living example to teach people how to face life in unwanted (I don't like to use the word tragic for a person like you) situations. A very positive attitude towards life you have! With sense of humour in tact.....lovely songs in operation theatre, Manmohan Desai film, Babes in the park and on and on.
    May God(you may not believe in God but I believe) bless you with good and long life.
    Syamala
     
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  8. sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    Arrey Kamalji, 'duniya chod chale' - seedhe operating room se? Does not sound very reassuring for the patient no? Do convey to the surgeon my reservations about his choice in 'music to operate by'! :rotfl

    Glad to hear that you are recovered and doing well!
     
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  9. iyerviji

    iyerviji Finest Post Winner

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    Kamalji glad to know you are ok now. Congratulations your post is nominated by Shyamala. A worthy nomination. We have to learn from you how to face life when we are in trouble. God is with you always and blessing you. Take care and all the best always.
     
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  10. jskls

    jskls IL Hall of Fame

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    Glad to know about your positive fight with cancer and that you have recovered completely . the way you have handled it positively is a lesson for many. Liked the title too! But the way you have said it humorously makes your battle against cancer appear too easy whereas you would have definitely faced very stressful situation.
     

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