Muscat: Jhumpa Chakraborty, a long-time resident of Oman and a trained Kathak dancer, is a shining example of a cancer warrior. When she was diagnosed with a Grade 2 carcinoma in 2014, the then 45-year-old Jhumpa felt shattered. But not for too long, as she quickly bounced back.
Jhumpa had a fibroid in her left breast since she was 17 years old. Without resorting to any surgery, she managed the fibroids through homeopathic medications. When she was 40, Jhumpa noticed a secretion from the breast that prompted her to do a mammogram and biopsy, results of which turned out to be negative. In mid-2013, when Jhumpa was 44, she noticed a new lump in the left breast. “Over a period of time, I started feeling a pain in the left arm and arm pit. I got the necessary tests done and result was positive.”
For a health-conscious and active person like Jhumpa, the test results were shocking. The disillusion of cancer invading a healthy body lasted only till she met her oncologist. “He assured me that, as I am fit and healthy, my chances of recovery are better and that I will be able to cope better with the long and difficult treatment.”
After several tests, six doses of chemotherapy, surgery and 19 radiotherapy session, Jhumpa was back home in Muscat in February 2015 – closing an eight-months ordeal.
Hair fall after the first chemotherapy can be very traumatic, too, said Jhumpa. When she first had a look at her bald self, she was shocked. But she came over that gradually and realised that looking good didn’t involve hair! Donning colourful turbans, she gave a new dimension to her looks - which her doctors loved and encouraged.
Even during her treatment, Jhumpa kept herself busy, running her dance classes between chemotherapy sessions, which she said made her feel alive. She also recommends healthy eating that can surely sustain your cancer remission. Jhumpa has stopped taking sugar, milk, red meat or barbequed food and has fresh turmeric with black pepper twice or thrice a week.
“The hormone medicine which I have been taking since the past five years has affected my uterus by thickening the endometrial wall and making it larger in size. I recently had a hysterectomy. But that doesn’t stop me from dancing! Since 2015 I have been performing regularly in Muscat, India and abroad in several prestigious events and festivals.”
