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She is the Lady who defeated Cancer! By Medimanage.com

 

She best symbolizes courage. A lady with sheer grit and determination, and an amazing power of resilience and confidence has been able to defeat a dangerous and life threatening disease, and came out, unscathed, intact and much more beautiful than ever…

Nobody thought it would be possible. But she remained steadfast, believing she could defeat it, and emerge a winner. And now, after eight long, tiring and stressful months, of treatments, medications, hospitalization and tests, she has beaten the deadliest form of cancer, and Lisa Ray is ready to take on the world!

Having been regarded as the most beautiful face in the world, and celebrated for her cosmopolitan looks, Lisa Ray charmed the audience with Deepa Mehta's Water and Vikram Bhatt's Kasoor, before becoming a victim to a rare form of bone marrow cancer, just when she was at the peak of her career!

Just what turned around for this beautiful face?

It all started with symptoms like tiredness, exhaustion, paleness of the skin, and drained energy when Lisa realized that there was something wrong and she could sense something not right in her bone marrow. Her hemoglobin levels dropped sharply and as she says, "The lack of oxygen made me a serial yawner". Convinced that her body demanded urgent attention, she got a routine blood test done and the results sent her to the hospital for a blood transfusion.

It was then, in June 2009, when she was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, - an incurable cancer of White Blood Cells. This was her life changing moment – from the glamorous world of cameras and  arclights to the depressing world of a life-threatening cancer.

Multiple Myeloma – Incurable blood cancer

The 37 year old actress was diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer, an incurable form of blood cancer. Myeloma is a cancer that starts in plasma cells, a type of white blood cells. It's the most common type of plasma cell cancer.

Myeloma begins when a plasma cell becomes abnormal. The abnormal cell divides to make copies of itself. The new cells divide again and again, making more and more abnormal cells. These abnormal plasma cells are called myeloma cells. In time, myeloma cells collect in the bone marrow. They may damage the solid part of the bone.

When myeloma cells collect in several of your bones, the disease is called "multiple myeloma." This disease may also harm other tissues and organs, such as the kidneys.

The severity of the cancer – in her own words

Lisa describes Myeloma as incurable. "It's a relatively rare cancer of the bone marrow that affects about 6000 Canadians. Every year, approximately 2100 more cases are diagnosed. I'm a junior member in many ways, having been diagnosed at 37, while the average age is 65. Makes the disease not quite as 'sexy' as other cancers. But we can change that" she says with confidence!

But, Lisa defied the bug and went ahead.."Yellow Diaries"

Strength was the norm of the day. As she vividly puts it, "I was tired of being tired all the time. The plasma cells in my bone marrow were rampaging, multiplying, squeezing out the red blood cells and it was time to begin doing something about it", and thus began Lisa's first cycle of treatment on July 2nd 2009. She refused to bow down to her illness and determined to live, and live healthy at that, Lisa began writing her famous blog, "Yellow diaries".

In times when her health was at a defining low, and her body was going through umpteen treatments and medication, writing came as a leveler to Lisa. She shared her moments of treatment, through the written word and focused on spreading the awareness to all those who were in a similar condition as she, and telling them, there was life beyond cancer and that they could defy the bug!

Stem cell Transplant – New hope for Cancer Patients

Besides, numerous treatments, chemotherapies and medications, Lisa underwent the most debated, stem cell transplant to treat her multiple myeloma. The procedure that normally takes upto two weeks to complete, involved releasing of her own stem cells into her blood, then collecting them and later freezing them, she said. Describing the procedure as an odyssey and a trip to the core, Lisa is now more than happy, she beams, "Now I'm full of cheerful stem cells, like fields of sunflowers I travel inside and watch them turn their small, yellow faces towards me."

The journey - "I am a very attractive bald"

Steroids: Talking about the treatment, Lisa says, "On steroids you are hungry all the time. When my doctor gave me my first cycle of meds, he capped his recommendation off with a charming gesture that meant: Beware of sweets." When on steroids, "I could feel my skin stretch and expand and move in ways and sensations I hadn't felt before. It can be fascinating (for some like myself) to meditate on the pathways of your organism.

Bloating: "I bloat up to three times my normal size. It's like putting on a wetsuit. Except its kinda permanent, until you stop taking the steroids. Then I deflate again." Lisa recalls.

Hair loss, Weight gain, Moon face: For someone who was known for her beauty and looks, the cancer proved to be a complete dampener. Lisa underwent sudden weight gain and major hair loss, as she was on Steroids and chemotherapy treatment, but this did not keep her humour away, when after going bald, she joked, "now at least my hair wouldn't fall in someone else's food".

But ask her about how difficult was the process of recovery, and she says, "Healing isn't just about the physical procedures. You need to be emotionally, spiritually and psychologically in the right frame of mind." Lisa lost hair, gained weight, All the more, it is only when health is given a priority over everything else, and belief takes precedence over doubts, that the process of recovery speeds up, believes the actress who took a break from acting to completethe treatment.

Humour and writing kept her through the journey…

Writing has been largely cathartic, it has helped me process the entire experience both in terms of receiving support from I have laughed through the experience.Her passion to write and the desire to spread awareness coupled with a great sense of humour kept up Lisa's courage through her periods of trials while fighting cancer. Her blog symbolizes amazing grit and courage depicting each stage of her illness, the period of treatment, and recovery, depression and motivation. Her desire to share the information about her illness comes from the fact, "I have actually got a serious bugger, and have to remind myself to lighten up". To read more about She is the Lady who defeated Cancer! By Medimanage.com

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Medimanage Health Insurance India

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