February 4 marks World Cancer Day.
In another lifetime, I probably would never have known or written about this day. But I was one of the lucky ones—to have been diagnosed with cancer and saved.
In exactly a week, it will have been five years since my partial nephrectomy to remove a malignant cyst in my right kidney. Renal Cell Carcinoma, Clear Cell Type.
No obvious growing bump or lump I could feel. Because kidneys sit deep in the abdomen, small cysts can grow undetected over a long period of time. No screaming symptoms of cells going rogue, either. I felt fine. I looked fine.
But I guess it was my lucky day when a routine medical check raised a red flag—but not for kidney cancer. Nevertheless, correlating my lab results with a revelation I didn’t think was significant, my primary care physician was quick to recommend further testing.
The big reveal finally came after the CT scan.
I wasn’t exactly a health nut before the diagnosis but I wasn’t living a life of excess, either. Most medical literature say the top three risk factors for cancer are smoking, drinking and obesity. Not guilty on all three counts. But cancer still got me.
I don’t lose sleep at night thinking about how I got cancer and why me. But I do think, often, about how I can best live the remaining days of my life—no matter how many days, weeks, months or years I still have.
After surgery, I resolved to live a healthier life. Not to say that I now subsist on fruits, seeds, nuts and vegetables. I just don’t go overboard anymore with whatever suits my fancy. I don’t possess a pantry of superfoods but I don’t stuff myself silly with sugar-laden junk.
Intermittent fasting seems to work for me. I fast for 16 hours daily.
It was tough for me to maintain an active lifestyle during the first year of the pandemic. But I’ve learned to adapt. I now run regularly. And on days I don’t run, I exercise to improve tone, flexibility and strength.
I don’t do it to save my life. Because I don’t know if it will. I do it to enjoy my life. I like feeling fit and strong. Maybe, it can also save my mind. I know cancer is out there. And it can come back for me.
But let it never be said that I never tried or that I never put up a fight. If I do my best, I can go without regret.
While I lived my life to the fullest before cancer, after cancer, I realized I could still live better. Cancer changed me. Forever.
If you feel something out of the ordinary, see a doctor. Don’t let the fear of Covid-19 stop you from getting yourself screened for cancer. Covid-19 is real. But so is cancer. Don’t be scared of a cancer diagnosis. Early detection and intervention can save your life.
Be one of the lucky ones—to be diagnosed with cancer and saved—if not saved from the disease, saved from a life lived less.