The initial stage

In 2016, our colleague, Sabita Verma, Swaraj, began having muscle spasms accompanied by a dry cough, which continued for a span of six months. Recurring visits to the physician brought her no relief. She would try to get through the day with the help of paracetamols.

One night, owing to her unbearable pain, she made a distress call to her sister-in-law, a nephrologist practicing in the USA.

Soon after, Sabita’s brother and sister-in-law arranged for a speedy appointment with a PGI physician. From May through July, she underwent several scans, including a biopsy. In August, she was asked to see an oncologist.

The diagnosis

The oncologist diagnosed her with stage 4 lung cancer, with a very bleak chance of survival. Her cancer had, by then, spread to her bones and blood stream.

Sabita was devastated. Her doctor had told her that she only had six months  to wind up her affairs. She trembled at the thought of having to say goodbye to her family. Most of all, her 15-year-old daughter.

Going strong

Although fazed, she soon began her chemotherapy sessions, and the day after, she would be back to work, at the office. Months had now turned into years, and Sabita was going strong and dealing with cancer like it was a common cold!

But, two years later, in October 2018, she was faced with another harrowing situation. Her metastases had now spread to her brain. She had to undergo radiation therapy for several months. But despite facing such daunting circumstances, Sabita continued to go to work. She went to her radiation therapy sessions after office hours.

A shared battle for survival, a shared journey

But, throughout these sessions, she remained undeterred, knowing that she had the support of her family and her office team. This helped her keep her physical and mental health intact.

“This journey was not mine alone,” Sabita says.“If I didn’t have the support of my family and my organisation, I may not have survived,” she adds.

This is Sabita’s message to all those who are going through rough times because of terminal illnesses. “Don’t lose your heart,” she says. “Team Mahindra stands with you!”