A Cancer survival Story

Having fought and won the battle of Cancer four times, and making it through nine operations, Babita Shakya, today, proudly stands, stronger than ever, like a true warrior. With her inspiring life of courage, love, and self-confidence, she is here to tell us the story of her journey with cancer in the past 24 years.

Courage is something that all of us should live by. It is your courage that will build you up to fight any battles that may be coming to you. I never thought my life would turn out like this, and despite everything I have been through, I feel proud of where I have come today and the battles I have won. Even if you are scared on the inside, never let the fear consume you, always have that courageous part of you to stand up for yourself and not give up on anything.

The Beginning

It all started 24 years ago, when I was only 28 years old, I was diagnosed with breast cancer right after me, my husband and our 9-month-old baby had returned to Nepal from Cambodia where my husband used to work. It had only been a month since we’d returned and I was already found with Cancer. We were struggling financially back then, juggling between buying-selling lands, because of which my treatments had to be delayed for some time. At that time, cancer was seen as a disease of no hope. People lived by the thinking that if you have cancer, there is no way you are going to make it now. But I knew I had to survive for my baby, for my family. I know if I’m not here anymore, how will my kids grow up, how will my husband handle working to earn money and raising the kids by himself. So I build this self-confidence within myself that I will fight this disease and win it, if not for me, then for my family.

One year before I was first diagnosed, my mother also suffered from ovary cancer and had passed away. In her case, it had already been in its last stage and spread all over her body when she found out, it was already too late. And not even one year later, as I got diagnosed too, It was such a hard time for me. I was at a point in my life where everything felt like it was falling apart, cancer being such a big enemy in my life. It took my mother away from me, and now it's back again. Every day I woke up, I used to thank god for giving me one more day to live. Days came with new hope and ended with a question of will there be a tomorrow or not. I feel more than grateful to have made it this far.

I remember praying to god to at least keep me alive and healthy until my kids are old enough to take care of themselves. My family has always been my motive to keep fighting and it is because of them that I never failed to believe in myself, and trust myself to conquer my battles with cancer.

The Second Cancer

Raising my kids along with living with cancer, that led to a series of operation, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, I made it through, winning in the battle of my first cancer. But then again, 10 years after the first one, another cancer was seen in my left breast. I again went through an operation followed by medication of tamoxifen for a while. But little did I know, after consuming tamoxifen for 5 years, my Estrogen Receptor and Progesterone Receptor came out triple-negative and tamoxifen turned out to be unsuitable for my body the entire time, as a result of which I am still seeing the side effects of it to this day. Despite the challenges, I also went through chemotherapy, and with time, I succeeded to recover again and I was again Cancer free.

My journey with Bone Cancer

One year after my breast cancer, as I was moving on, doing my thing, watching my kids grow, and living the life I had fought for, there came an instance where I suddenly decided to get a bone scan. In Nepal, a bone scan was done once in three months and it could only be done with eight people at once. So they had seven people and they were short of one person because of which the scan was being delayed until my husband recommended I should get it done as well. So, I went through with it, and unexpectedly, another cancer in my bone was seen. Luckily, it was only the first stage of it and I didn’t waste any time getting it treated. I was given another chemotherapy through my hands. Because of the multiple encounters with chemo, I later found out that a vein in my hand had been blocked because of which both my hands are still swollen. So, I had to start consuming the medication for chemotherapy since it wasn’t possible to do it through my hands or legs. The consumption medication itself came with a series of side effects that made the whole thing twice as harder as it already was. I experienced severe mood swings and, in times, broke down as a result of which affected my mental state of being, now more than ever.

Being diagnosed with a fourth Cancer

Three years passed by, and then again, due to unfortunate circumstances, I was diagnosed with Skin Cancer that started from my chest area as a result of all the radiotherapy I was given there to treat my previous cancers. Radiotherapy is, in an ideal case, something that should only be given once, but I had already been through it twice now. My skin there started to rot and my doctors told me I had to go through with another operation to remove it. Along with my husband, I decided to go to Delhi instead for the operation. There, the doctor told me how I shouldn’t delay this any longer and scheduled the operation for the next day of my arrival. During the operation, as they were removing cancer-affected skin from my chest, they had to take up a piece of my thigh muscle and put it in my chest since a lot of the skin there was being removed. In my entire cancer journey, the most difficult one was this journey with skin cancer. I wasn’t able to move my legs at all, my hands were swollen due to the chemo side effect and I had to be bed rested for 6 months. But after all the suffering and sacrifices, my body, again, won over this cancer too.

After that, I made sure that I go for a PET scan every year to find out if there is anything more coming or not. During that, around 2 years ago, the doctor introduced me to this new test that predicts where cancer may come in the future. Then again, the test came out positive for my ovaries. That meant there was a possibility of cancer coming back to my ovaries in the future. So, I decided to go through with the operation to remove my ovaries, just to be on the safe side and to avoid any future cancers.

Stepping into a Cancer free life

Now, it’s been 9 years since I have been living a cancer-free life. It’s like cancer has given up on me looking at my journey and how my self-confidence, willpower, and faith have always been one step ahead of it. After all these years I have come to learn how there is nothing bigger than your self-confidence in yourself, there is no stronger medicine than believing in yourself and that you can get through anything. Everything I went through taught me so many things about myself, and my life. It taught me to never give up on myself and never doubt how much I can take on. It helped me build myself and my lifestyle in a healthy manner and put me in a discipline of how I can eat right and be healthy every day, one step at a time. Now, I am healthier than ever.

I have been fortunate enough to have met people like Rejina Mulmi, Dr. Deepak Sundar Shrestha, Dr. Bhaktaman Shrestha, who pulled me out of the dark and encouraged me to counsel other cancer patients and talk about my journey to give them hope. Today, I work to counsel other people who are suffering from cancer as well in the Nepal Cancer Hospital. Just talking to people who are going through the same things I have been through, listening to them and telling them to not lose hope, to keep believing, if I can make it until today, so can you, I feel at peace. Because you never know how your words can affect someone else's life. Sometimes I think about how, 24 years ago, when I first got diagnosed with cancer, I wish someone would have come and told me to not give up, that I'm strong and I'll be able to fight this. So being able to be that someone for anyone who needs it, satisfies me in a different way. I see myself in them.

My Advice to the World

I'd like to tell everyone to never take your health for granted. There is honestly nothing bigger than your body and its well-being. It is worth cutting off junk foods and unhealthy food you put into it and treating yourself with foods that make you stronger to fight any kind of health problems. Visit the doctor or your physician in time for just health check-ups, there is nothing wrong with investing in that. Moreover, it will only be good for you and help you care for yourself as per your body's needs.