Life 2.0 And Tumour Humour

Every now and then, they say, a bump appears in the journey of our lives that forces one to stop and smell the roses on the path. Well, not as if I was leading a very hectic life, but was coasting along as usual when the ‘bump’ in my life appeared some months ago. A series of medical ailments, misdiagnoses, and treatments for over a year culminated in the discovery of a large lesion in my brain. Before I knew it, I was admitted to the hospital for surgery of the tumor. Three surgeries were performed in a span of 20 days leaving me little time to think! Nevertheless, a flurry of emotions ranging from shock, denial, despair, hope, fear to courage, fleeted through my mind. Countless friends, family, and relatives, even strangers, rallied around in support as I began to look at life from a new perspective.

As I sailed through the first surgery and came back home, I began to brace myself for Life 2.0. Flowers smelt sweeter, food tasted better, the music sounded more enjoyable and people appeared dearer! I got myself a couple of Tee shirts printed with funny words about my tumor. Apparently, the tumor I got appears only in one in 2-3 million of the population. I wish I had the same ‘luck’ of the draw the next time I buy a lottery ticket (:- By the way, I am glad I saved over 2 million people from getting a brain tumor – ‘law of averages’ or whatever but please don’t ask me to explain the logic and spoil my sense of contentment! Browsing the internet to know more of my ailment and its treatment made me realize, more than ever before, what an awesome and complex product of nature the human

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body is.

The second surgery was a relatively minor one done within two days of the first one. The third surgery, a fortnight later, was the biggest and scariest of them all. Lasted several hours and involved multiple surgeons and specially designed instruments to monitor vital functions of the body during the operation, that could have been damaged had the surgeon’s knife gone awry. Spent almost a week (seemed like an eternity) in the window-less intensive care unit (ICU) surrounded by flashing and beeping instruments and hospital staff, before returning home to the comfort of family, television and the ubiquitous mobile phone. Alas, lost our pet dog Bruno within a few days after that, to add to our misery. Nonetheless, he had led a full and memorable life and passed away peacefully.

Following the surgeries, I was advised to undergo radiation therapy for six weeks at the most advanced facility in India at Apollo Proton Centre, Chennai. The machine there is an awesome product of the coming together of physics, mathematics, medicine, engineering and more! So, there I was, spending the winter in warm Chennai. Spent time at two beaches, two ancient temples, two British-era churches, three concerts, a museum, a movie, a flea market. a wedding and more. Not to mention countless visits by and to meet relatives. I also had (Sorry, Tata Steel.

At home, recuperating, resuming work and more of Life 2.0 – not sure what it has in store for me and what challenges it will throw up. Whatever they are, I can safely say I have navigated the waters gamely so far and won the first round.