Cancer Patient at 7 and a Confident Woman at 20
How was your life like when you were six or seven? Probably school, vacations, picnic, cartoons and a lot of fun, right? That’s how it’s supposed to be. I have very different memories of my childhood. I was probably seven when my parents were told that I had Mouth Cancer. Let me tell you that it’s very different when an adult fights cancer and it’s a very different ball game when a kid fights it. A child is at the epitome of innocence. Everything they touch or feel is new, there is so much to explore and learn. At a time when I was supposed to do that, I was asked to stay indoors and experience pain that I cannot express in words. Pain, is probably the most subjective term I have ever come across. I know that now, back then, I was just a blank slate with pain written all over in RED. My parents and family were shattered, but what made it more difficult to digest was my age. Children have a very limited vocabulary to express anything. Therefore they use more actions. We don’t realize that until something this tragic happens. It was so difficult to express my pain. I didn’t know what was happening. I was too young, too naïve. But I did know that I want to get over it, defeat it and be healthy again. Little girls love dolls and dressing them up. They want to be as pretty as them; have long hair pink cheeks etc. When chemotherapy started and I lost my hair, I felt as if I wasn’t that pretty doll anymore. It hurt a lot and I could not express how much (still can’t). Fighting chemotherapy is the most difficult part of the treatment. It just destroys every ounce of confidence you have ever had and throws you in an ocean of pain. Amidst all this I found my strength in parents, doctors and close friends. They loved and supported me irrevocably and encouraged me to defeat this evil that had dared to ruin my childhood. A lot of people react to cancer news by blaming God. They keep questioning Him for the troubles in their lives. It’s been 14 years since I survived cancer and not once have I questioned or blamed God. He kept me alive, He saved me, why must one ever question God in difficulties, I do not understand. Today, people look up to me. I was awarded Mahela Gaurav Award on Women’s Day. I know I could do this because I had my parents, family, friends and most importantly God by my side. To me, any individual who has managed to kick cancer’s butt is a hero. I am an extremely confident human being today because I know if I could overcome something so horrible at the age of seven, then nothing can ever destroy me.
I am Himani Trivedi and this is my story.
