I overcame this with my family’s support
But two years ago, when she noticed a lump in her breast, life turned sour for this confident achiever. She was shattered. But with support from her family and doctor, she fought the disease with great gusto and is now motivates many breast cancer patients.
“Since I am a doctor myself, as soon as I noticed the lump, I went for a mammogram and underwent a biopsy. This was in July 2007. Two days later, the reports confirmed the malignancy,” says Tiwari. The question that bothered me was: “how much longer will I live?” says Tiwari. When Tiwari consulted specialists for treatment, many doctors suggested a mastectomy or removal of the breast. Finally, Dr Ajai Kumar, CEO and chairman of HCG, suggested that she undergo a breast conservation surgery.
“It was very traumatic back then I used to cry a lot. One day, my nine-year-old daughter asked me what was going on. I then told her that I had breast cancer. She told me about the Australian singer Kylie Minogue, who survived her treatment and continues to perform even today,” recounts Tiwari. “My daughter boosted my confidence, saying that nothing would happen to me,” she says with a glint in her eye. Not just her daughter, Tiwari’s husband took six-months off from work, just to be with his wife and take care of her. Her parents, siblings, in-laws, who are based up north, came down to Bangalore just to support her during this period.
Tiwari’s treatment began with two sessions of chemotherapy to shrink the lump on her breast. “Tiwari had armpit lymph nodes. We conducted a biomarker study and decided on her treatment path,” says Dr Kumar. This was followed by lumpectomy, a surgery to remove the lump along with a breast reconstruction surgery. “In nearly 80% of breast cancer cases in India, the breast is removed. However, there is no need for it all the time,” explained Dr Kumar.
Post surgery, Tiwari underwent six cycles of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiotherapy. “Chemotherapy had a lot of side effects. Apart from nausea, I had an urinary tract infection, a stomach infection and herpes. But with support from my family, I was able to overcome it. When I turned bald both my husband and daughter complimented me saying I was looking cool,” says Tiwari, who is still on hormone therapy medication. Today, with four other survivors, Tiwari runs a support group for breast cancer patients where they counsel newly diagnosed cases.
About HCG Oncology
HCG, the best Cancer Care Hospital in India specializes in Cancer Treatment, CyberKnife Surgery, Oncology Symptoms, Cancerous Tumors, Breast Cancer Treatment, chemotherapy, Radiation oncology, Medical Oncology and Surgical Oncology.
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