25 Jan, 2022
25 Jan, 2022
Sidharth Ghosh has been running all his life: on the cricket ground and football field in school, and as a marathon runner for over a decade. But when life threw him a seemingly insurmountable challenge, he hit the pause button to turn around and fight.
In January 2014, Sidharth, then 34, was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma, commonly known as kidney cancer. “It did come as a shock. I had just run the marathon, and even played a corporate cricket match the day before. I went in for some tests and noticed blood in my urine. That was when the doctors discovered a growth on my right kidney that was bigger than a golf ball. In fact, the growth practically covered the whole kidney!”
Although he did initially feel sorry for himself, agonizing over what he had done to deserve this, there was no time to dwell on self-pity. Doctors advised immediate surgery and removed his right kidney.
Recounting his post-operative recovery, Sidharth says, “When you are diagnosed with cancer, there are different aspects you must deal with. There is the emotional aspect, the physical aspect, and then there is the financial aspect. Obviously, I could see physical changes in my body. The doctors had to remove one kidney, a ureter, three arteries, four veins, one lymph node and some peripheral tissue. I could barely stand for 10 minutes or climb four steps even 10 days after surgery.”
His cousin Vrinda, a doctor herself, was given the responsibility of getting him to move from bed. “Moving around was so exhausting that at times, I would find it very difficult to even walk a few steps. She was with me for hours on end, ensuring that I did get up. All through that time, I was thinking about when I could get back to my sports.”
Unlike other cancer treatments, chemotherapy and radiation were not an option. “It would not have worked in my case. There is a third line of therapy called immunotherapy, designed to boost the bodys natural defenses to fight the cancer. It uses substances either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function.”
Sidharth cites two role models, who inspired his drive to recover. “Yuvraj Singh and Lance Armstrong really played a big role in my recovery. Unfortunately, in India, people are still unwilling to share their stories because they still feel there is a huge stigma attached to cancer. I kept telling myself that if two of the fittest men in their respective countries can get cancer, fight it, and get back to their peak fitness levels, then I could too.”
The road to recovery did take time and it was three or four months before Sidharth could walk properly. He single-mindedly built that up to a brisk walk and eight months after his surgery, he ran a half marathon. And exactly one year later, in January 2015, he ran the full marathon.
Sidharth even played a corporate cricket match 333 days after surgery. He received a warm welcome from his old mates and the team even went on to win the match.
Sidharth credits his passion for fitness for his remarkable recovery, saying with pride how one of his surgeons said the inside of his body was like that of a 20-year-old! They also told him that while the incisions and scars normally took up to two years to heal completely, they expected his body to repair itself sooner because of his fitness level.
Today, Sidharth is actively involved in doing his bit for society. He is associated with HCG and multiple NGOs that work with cancer. “I wanted to start my own support group, Renal Way, as very few people talk about kidney cancer.”
Sidharth has penned down his cancer journey in a book called ‘Cancer as I know it – Six steps to beat cancer and feel awesome’, which has been published in 13 countries and available on Amazon. Also, all the contributions made towards the purchase of the book go to charity to the NGOs working in the cancer field.
He has an insight to convey to people. “My advice is never show sympathy to someone who is undergoing all this. I did throw out a few people from my life who were always negative. My thought process has also changed and I value relationships, friendships, and life more. There are times when we stop talking to people due to ego issues. Life is much bigger than all this.”
