Why me?
The course of Dr. Keerti Tewari’s life has changed
more than once over the years. Although a trained
doctor, she never practised medicine and decided to
join the Civil Services. The former Bengaluru resident,
who has called Delhi her home since September
2013, was to face a far bigger challenge in 2007. “I
was diagnosed with breast cancer on May 14, 2007.
You know how there are some dates that will always
stay with you. This is one of those.”
Her first reaction was one of complete terror. “I
thought I was going to die.”
Then followed loads of self-pity. She asked herself,
“Why me? What did I do to deserve this?” There was
also that all-too-familiar sense of being in denial when
she desperately hoped that the report wasn’t hers
and that they had mistakenly given her someone
else’s.
Keerti Tewari
“Seeing me cry, she started crying too. Then,
she asked me why I was crying and I told her
that I had a serious illness and that I did not
know if I would survive.”THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019 11PLUS