Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Dedicated to our Advocates...
Mrs. Annapurni Padmanabhan
Interview in Tamil with Mrs. Annapurni Padmanabhan, summarized in English,1st July, 2019, Mumbai: Thank you Mrs. Vidya Murlidhar from Charlotte, for connecting me to your amazing mother Mrs. Padmanabhan, 78 years old, Breast Cancer survivor, diagnosed at the age of 70 with Stage I. Hats off to Mrs. Annapurni, who was very vigilant and went to the doctor immediately when she felt an issue. She got diagnosed at very early Stage I and underwent only surgery and did not need chemotherapy and radiation. Mrs. Annapurni, is an inspiration to the mankind, setting an example - early detection is the key! Interview with Mrs. Padmanabhan in Tamil, summarized in English -
https://youtu.be/AQGkCXR0blE
https://www.breastcancerhub.org/heroes-blog/annpurni-stnfd-ttm8e-hzdln-xkygx-yw6e5-fyac4-we7rt
By, Dr Lopamudra Das Roy, Breast Cancer Hub
The motivational story of Mrs. Annapurni Padmanabhan…
A Hero’s Journey.
By Vidya Murlidhar (heartfelt thoughts of a daughter to her beloved mother-Mrs. Annapurni Padmanabhan)
The crisp autumn air tingled my skin as I walked my dog early one morning. Scattered leaves, colored, dry, rustled beneath our trotting feet. Plump pumpkins that dotted people’s front doors, lacey cobwebs hung over trimmed bushes, and fluffed pink bows tied to the row of mailboxes along our path, all heralded the arrival of October. A month now as synonymous with breast cancer as it is for Halloween.
“It’s been seven years …seven years since our tryst with the deadly disease that hit us like a hurricane and passed.” I reminisced.
As the cool breeze made a pile of leaves flutter into a whirlpool in the air, my thoughts whirled back to the day in 2012 when my father, teary and tired, had held a medical report in his hand.
I had just arrived at my parents’ house in Mumbai with my kids in the wee hours of the morning after a three-week trip to Charlotte. Jet lagged yet eager to fill my parents in on the details of our vacation, I had begun my incessant chatter only to be met with their solemn silence. Never before had I seen my biggest cheerleaders so unenthused.
“Is something wrong?” I asked, dread wiggling its way into my heart.
“There is something you need to know” Dad announced.
He got up and retrieved a folder from the cupboard. It was a medical report. Tears filled his eyes as he handed it over to me. In a voice choked with emotion he whispered “The biopsy results from Amma’s test came in last night. She has cancer…in the right breast…this is the report. Take a look.”
“What? How? When? Bbb…but I just spoke to you three days ago from Charlotte. She was fine! How can this be? CANCER??? Are you sure?”
Dad nodded and gently thrust the report in my hand. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to get a grasp of the situation. This cannot be happening. How could someone who seemed perfectly well just a few days ago harbor such a deadly disease? Why did it have to happen to her? To us? Just when she had recovered from the angioplasty. It wasn’t fair. Was I going to lose her? Just like we had lost Periamma, her older sister, to the same disease a few years ago?
I flipped through the pages of the report with hazy eyes and a foggy brain. It was hard to comprehend the medical jargon contained. Nowhere was the dreaded ‘C’ word mentioned.
“I don’t understand this Daddy.” By this time, I was crying hard.
Dad pointed to the last sentence in which the words Ductal Carcinoma were highlighted. “That means it’s cancer. The oncologist we met with said it’s an aggressive form, a galloping kind but in the initial stages. She will have to undergo a mastectomy right away. Even the slightest delay may cause it to spread rapidly. We have an appointment with the oncology surgeon this afternoon.”
Slowly, I turned to Amma who had not uttered a word until then. I was afraid to look directly at her. How was she taking all this? Was she terrified? The days ahead were bound to be turbulent and I didn’t have the courage to see her shatter. Yet, to my awe, Amma appeared stoic. “It’s going to be ok Vidu. God is watching over us. Don’t worry.” In spite of being in the eye of the storm, she was unfazed. Her resilience has always amazed me, and that day it did more than ever. Even at this very difficult time for her, she was the one giving me courage.
“How did you find out, Amma? You never mentioned anything when I called you.”
“I didn’t want to worry you especially since you had to travel alone with the kids. Besides almost everything unfolded in the past two days. Four days ago, I spotted a little black spot on my breast while showering. I waited for a couple of days. But there was this gnawing feeling that something was not right. That I had to show it to a doctor. So, two days ago I went to our family physician who based on our family history advised us to see the gynecologist right away. I did and she suggested that I get a mammogram screening that very evening. The results of the mammogram were a little ambiguous. It showed some abnormality but nothing serious. The doctor though wasn’t convinced and the next morning did a needle biopsy which confirmed her suspicion. So, she immediately referred me to an oncologist. The oncologist said that the first step would be to get a mastectomy, followed by radiation or chemotherapy, if necessary. So, this morning we have to meet with the surgeon. He’s very renowned. I’m not worried, Vidu. And I don’t want you to worry too. Ganpati bappa is there, no? Then why be afraid.”
Listening to her, I felt a calm come over me. She had the tenacity to battle the monster that ravaged the lives so many. On our part we had to support her and take it one day at a time.
Later that day my brother and I accompanied my parents to visit Dr. Amish Patel, the surgeon. Cheerful and jovial, the doctor filled us with hope. Amma would have to undergo a series of routine tests and if all the vitals were good, he would perform surgery on her in the next two days. That evening my brother and I spoke to my uncle, Dr. Mohan, an anesthesiologist who assured us that since the cancer was only in the initial stages, a complete recovery was a definite possibility. He narrated incidents of people with miraculous recoveries, some from advanced stages who had gone on to live long, wholesome lives. A positive attitude was the strongest weapon against cancer he emphasized.
Over the next couple of days, I sent messages to my closest friends and family to keep Amma in their prayers. One of my very dear friends, Suji, a devout Christian sent me a powerful, healing prayer of infant Jesus. “Pray Vids, and we all will too. Amma will be back on her feet soon.” My sister-in-law, Latha, fervently prayed to Lord Ganesha. Her faith gave me immense courage. My reiki teacher, Asmita Sowani and her circle of reiki practitioners began to send reiki to Amma. I am certain over the next couple of day every God and angel in the heavens received a request for Amma’s healing from one of our own. One of our neighbors, who belonged to the Brahmakumari foundation revealed a hair-raising incident when she came to meet Amma. The morning ‘Murali’, which was Shiv Baba’s channeled message to his devotees, had stated that He often appeared in the form of a surgeon to heal his loving children. Never before those had I felt grace touch us so deeply. We were surrounded by love and watched over by light.
The next few days now seem like a blur. As scheduled, Amma was wheeled into surgery early Tuesday morning, just four days after the diagnosis, in a hospital nearby. Mohan Mama was with Amma inside the operating room. The surgery to completely remove the right breast was over in less than a couple of hours. Dr. Amish Patel was very pleased with the outcome and so was my uncle. Detailed biopsy reports later revealed that the cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. Early detection and prompt action had made sure that the cancer had been contained.
Thanks to everyone’s prayers Amma’s recovery from the surgery went very well too. Her post op results came back as ER PR+. She did not need chemotherapy or radiation treatment. All she had to do was take a hormone tablet for five years.
“Woof-woof!” yelped Leo, jerking me to the present as he tugged hard at his leash. He had spotted spooky-looking inflatables in a yard on our route and seemed terrified. I stroked his head gently to calm him down. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, little one. What’s there to fear when we’ve defeated a real monster in our lives?”
As we continued on our walk that morning, my heart was filled with gratitude. Amma’s fortitude, indefatigable spirit, the staunch support of our loved ones, and God, were the reason how a Cat 5 devastating hurricane had transformed into a passing storm in our lives.
By Vidya Murlidhar, BCH Editorial Board
https://www.breastcancerhub.org/editorial-board-blog/vidya-ykc2t
