Combating Cancer

That evening was cold as expected on the last week of October. Coming from the hottest place in India, the cold of New Hampshire is just too much for me. As I came home from work, I thought I must brush my teeth after eating chocolates. (else I would have my mom coming in my dreams reminding me to do that). While brushing I saw my image in the mirror. Well it looked like me….pretty much alright with two eyes one nose and one mouth (ears hidden behind my hair). Hey wait something different …..some kind of red coloured liquid sticking out of my nose….oh its BLOOD!!. Thinking that I must have punched my nose in my dreams I went back to my room. (yah after washing my mouth). Ohhh now I start coughing. Mmm nothing new…I was coughing for the past few nights. Cursing the cold for the (n+1)th time I reached my kerchief and started coughing even more. (comfortably now.). That beautiful red kerchief is really useful. Just a moment….is it red?? Wasn’t it yellow? My God BLOOD is coming out of my mouth now.

I thought I was healthy…… I even donated blood last year. This year I coudnt do it as some count turned to be low. My left brain (LB) started revising the chapters of cancer biology I had learnt in my undergrad. Ohh no!! it could be leukaemia (blood cancer). My right brain (RB) said “Hey u got to confirm it..consult a doc”. Now LB says “Is that not obvious? Blood count initially getting low and then blood coming from nose and mouth, loss of appetite etc..etc…” There my RB says “enough of it….anyway tumor is curable” LB answers “Leukaemia…tis difficult..radiotherapy etc.” RB (now irritated) “okay u have cancer so what?? May be u will die within a few months.. ...r u really worth living?”

That’s really a tough question to answer. LB comes to my rescue saying “u r not worth dying either.” Well this sounds good. Cancer mm this word changed my attitude to life. I felt like Sharukh Khan of Kal Ho Na Ho. But I don’t have a lover. First time in my life I realized the importance of having a lover. A lover should be really interesting at least at the death bed. (wow what a sentiment). I have not yet achieved anything in life to die so soon. Ohh what did I want to achieve?. Perhaps a job with a handsome salary, a camera and a car to wander.
What a great ambition in life!!!

Telephone rings… my classmate Shen asks “Vibha did u finish biochemical homework -5th problem.” I answered “Ohh I jus came from work..I’ll call u once I do it..bye”. And now, “does doin this homework make a difference…anyway few more months??” My RB says “atleast do ur homework properly during the last part of ur life.” Yah I will try to be sincere from now. I searched for the homework sheet from a dozen of scattered papers near the trash. As I made my wonderful discovery finding the sheet, telephone rings again.

Do I have another homework?. Well lets check. But it was my undergrad friend calling from Maryland. He asks “hey how r u doin vibha?” “well fine (ohh what a lie) and how is ur life goin” and there the reply came “u know because of the dry heat from the heater my nose started bleeding. I just got a humidifier and now its all okay….” My LB continued “yes the tissue in ur nose is very soft and so easily…”

I didn’t hear the rest of the words. I could feel fifty five - 200W bulbs glowing in me. Yah I don’t pay for electricity here. Hey someone is cutting the power supply. That’s the image of my Dad saying “vibha u chat a lot...look u r still holding the phone. U lose ur intelligence by that..” I replied “Dad ur advice works perfectly well only for people with intelligence .”

Well now u would have concluded that I got a humidifier. Ohh no that’s not what people with "great chemical engineering minds" do. I sprinkle water once in a while. I remember not to wipe out the water when I wash my vessels and leave it for the heater to dry it. Don’t spend money on heaters….. this works perfectly well. (my nose is in a good shape now.)