30 THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019
PLUSWhen the Going Gets
Tough, Smile.Her immediate thoughts were about her
family. Her son had just finished Class 10
and her little daughter was in Class 3. It
tore her heart to see her husband weighed
down by the latest in a series of misfortunes
and she wondered how they were going to
manage. Summoning all her inner
resources, she decided she was not going
to let cancer defeat her.“We all have to die one day anyway. It’s
not like only cancer could be the cause. I
decided that whatever had to happen
would happen by the will of God, and I
would face it with a smile. You have to
meet whatever challenges come your
way without complaining.”9 Years Later.
Nine years later, Pushpa is the very picture
of health. She wakes up at 3 a.m., cooks for
her family and then she’s off to church for
spiritual sustenance. The rest of her day is
labour-intensive, spent minding the rubber
plantation, making rubber sheets, taking
care of their goats and tending to her small
vegetable garden.Spreading Words of
Wisdom.Since overcoming cancer, Pushpa has
relentlessly worked towards creating
awareness in her community. She was the
president of a cancer awareness and
support group, and used to go to
awareness camps to give inspirational talks
about her experience.She attributes misconceptions regarding
cancer on lack of awareness about the
disease as well as the treatment options.
One of the first things patients ask her is
whether they would lose their hair due to
chemotherapy. This is a particularly relevant
concern in Kerala, where women, blessed
with long tresses, take immense pride in
their crowning glory. She explains the
cancer treatment in detail and what the
patients need to do afterwards. For her, the
most rewarding part of doing this is the fact
that she has been able to help so many
women and their families.