The spirit ,perseverance and determination which every cancer patient must develop to fight this dreadful disease

Mrs Keerti Singh's Letter to Karnika

Dear Karnika,

It was so good to talk to you & to hear your gentle voice. You are very brave. God bless you!

Cancer is so mysterious. It just creeps into your life stealthily. One moment you are in health & the next your life changes dramatically without any inkling or indication. I know how difficult it is to come to terms with what has happened to you but the very first step to overcoming any adversity is acceptance. It improves your cognizance & helps you deal with the situation head on.

The next step is to keep a positive attitude. Believe me, a positive attitude goes a long way in bringing about a positive outcome. Never loose hope.

Discipline is of the utmost import. You must set yourself a routine & follow it religiously. I will write down my own routine & diet for you. You may not be able to follow all of it while you are under treatment but when you are through with it & feel stronger please try to incorporate as much of it in your life as is possible.

1. Prayers : "Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot heal"- Thomas Moor. Believe that. Begin your days with prayers. Prayers give you strength of mind so you may deal with any adversity with clarity."More things are wrought by prayers than this world dreams of"- Tennyson. Chant some Sanskrit Shloks. It is good if you understand them but don't worry too much if you cant't. Sanskrit words are very powerful & create vibrations that aid the healing process. Maybe you could read the Gita.
2. Exercise : You must exercise to keep up your strength. Treatment will make you weak but do some simple, mild exercise if you can. I know there will be times when you can barely pull yourself out of bed but try some yoga or a short walk whatever your energy levels permit you to do. Listen to your body & do only as much as it will allow you to do.
3. Diet : This is the most important part of the regimen. Diet will determine whether or not you can remain well. While you are undergoing treatment you will not be able to have raw foods so for that period follow only a diet that your doctor permits.
4. Have only clean, freshly cooked food. Do not eat out of a tin, a bottle or a packet. Avoid any preserved foods.
5. Start your day with carrot, orange, lemon & ginger juice. It will boost your immunity.
6. Asparagus (steamed), red grapes, blue berries, broccoli are all anti cancerous so start eating them right away
7. Eat only a vegetarian diet. (You will need a high protein diet while having chemotherapy so do not give up non vegetarian foods just yet if you do eat them. Maybe chicken soup is a good idea though I managed pretty well only with a pure vegetarian diet even when I was undergoing a stem cell transplant) Non vegetarian food remains in the system for as long as 72 hours & creates toxins in the body. According to research, people who consume red meats have a 20% higher chance of getting cancer as opposed to those who don't. Of course every body's constitution is different & while somethings may effect you & me in a certain way they have no adverse effects on others.
8. Eat rainbow colours. The brighter the pigment the better. After you finish treatment try to incorporate a lot of raw vegetables (in the form of salad) & fruits to your daily diet.
9. Nuts prolong life. Make walnuts, almonds, figs, apricots, dates an integral part of your diet. (they should be in the raw form not processed)
10. Do not use any refined products such as oils, flour etc. in your cooking. Use only pure mediums like mustard /sesame oils or even pure ghee. Eat only whole grains.
11. I will be in touch with you. I will elaborate more on diet & lifestyle after you have completed your treatment. In the meanwhile please try to follow the suggestions above as much as you can possibly do. Please also consult your doctor on raw foods & any other foods that might be restricted for the period that you are under treatment.

I just want you to know that it is possible to come back from the brink so never ever loose hope. I have had two relapses subsequent to the first time that I was diagnosed with the disease in December of '96. My cancer was in the fourth & last stage on two of those occasions. When I had my first relapse in July 2000, the cancer had transformed itself into two different types requiring completely different lines of treatment & was so metastasized that my doctor in India told us he did not know what to do with me. I am telling you this so that you know that despite all odds, things can turn out in the positive. My children were very young & my will to live for them was so strong that perhaps that has something to do with the fact that I am still here. You have to be well for the sake of all who love you.

I have drawn inspiration from many people's lives but one stands out amongst them - a young American boy by the name Mattie Stepanek. He had a debilitating disease called muscular dystrophy which slowly depletes the body muscles & is life threatening. His stoicism exuded a maturity beyond his years. Once in an interview on TV he was asked - " ...have you ever questioned God " Why Me?". His reply was - "Yes, several times, but then I think - why not me?" Such was the wisdom of this boy who had seen only eleven summers.

In the end I would like to say that keep faith. Surrender yourself to God's care. It is my firm belief that if you love Him with an earnest heart He will care. Never ask Him for anything for only He knows best. Trust Him.

"When I am being battered by the storms of life & my very spirit is ebbing away, then all I need to do is to hang on to that gift called 'Faith', the one support which will weather out the storms. Faith does not require logic, only belief : belief in the self & the strength that lies within. Faith is the seed of all miracles & the foundation for making the impossible possible." God bless you & all your family & give you strength through this most trying of times.

Now that you have my email contact do not hesitate to write to me if you ever wish to do so. Please feel free to call me anytime you need somebody to talk to.

May God be with you always.

Lots of love,

Dear Karnika

It is so good to hear from you. Yes you are right. Everything that I have said in my mail to you comes straight from the heart & I am honoured that you should think you would like to keep it.

I can understand that you feel you have been good just as I have been too - never smoked or drank alcohol & yet we got cancer. Baisa, as I said, everybody's constitution is different. Ten people live in the same environment, have the same lifestyle, eat the same diet but only one falls sick. It is not easy to fathom the verities of life.

I always look at things from another perspective. Everything happens for a reason. Adversity can be a great preceptor. It teaches you many things & brings out the best in you. I have learnt never to take anything for granted. When I look around me & see how much misery there is in the world I consider myself fortunate & cannot but feel gratitude for all I have received. If God has chosen us for these trials He has also given us the means to be able to go to the best places & have the best treatment. Many people do not have that. We must understand that God does not allow anything in our lives unless He can use it for better good. These are His ways of making us understand our relationship with Him who is the very source of our being.

Fish is good! A high source of protein & has other very valuable properties. I'm sorry I did not realize that your colon is reduced & raw foods such as salads etc. might be a problem for you. Have them puréed as you said. Have soups, smoothies.

Yes the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra is very powerful. I remembered I should have mentioned that after I had already sent the mail to you. Do at least one mala everyday. Even if you do not have time for anything else you must be steadfast about this. Try some meditation.

Now if I may ask you, what did the doctor say & when do you start treatment? Where in Delhi will you have it?

Dear Karnika you are young & have a much better chance of responding to treatment well. All you need to do is aid the healing process by keeping a positive attitude & putting your faith in the Almighty.

"All the strength you'll ever need to handle ANYTHING is within you now. It was put there by your Creator, who knew very well what you would be up against in this life - and made you equal to it."- Norman Vincent Peale

God keep you in His care.

Fondly yours,

Keerti