A Story of Hope.
From God’s Own Country.
It is the crack of dawn on a Thursday morning and the
community of Kelakam in Kerala’s Kannur district is
already up and about, with people making their way to
church. Among them is Pushpa Anthony, who has
come briskly walking to the shrine almost three
kilometres from her home. Her eyes light up as she
walks up to the pulpit and reads the scripture for the
morning mass. The ritual is important for this
51-year-old, for it is her unwavering faith in God that
helped her through a series of misfortunes that
culminated in breast cancer.
In 2007, they were blindsided when heavy monsoon
rain and winds badly damaged their house.
As they say, it never rains but pours. The family was
coming to grips with the situation when Pushpa
discovered a lump in her breast. In the normal
course, she would have thought nothing of it, but it
so happened that around the same time, she spoke
to a friend who had been diagnosed with breast
cancer. The similarity of their situations convinced
her to go to a hospital to assuage her doubts. To her
relief – albeit temporary - the doctor told her it was
just a hormonal problem and put her on a
month-long course of medicines. She went to the
doctor again and, this time round, he directed her to
an oncologist in Thalasseri, the nearest town. Her
worst fears were confirmed when the diagnosis
came: first stage cancer.
Pushpa Anthony
“You have to meet whatever challenges
come your way without complaining.”THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019 29PLUS