“A few months ago my bone marrow started sending me messages.
The signals: I was always exhausted, pale, drained, and completely depleted of red blood cells. The lack of oxygen made me a serial yawner and spacier than a displaced Czarina. Little did I know, but my hemoglobin had fallen to levels where even a dedicated Blood sucker would turn their thoughts to revival. In between work and travel in India this year, I got a routine blood test and the results sent me to the hospital for a blood transfusion. But not a reason to stop and, like, change my life? The attempt to communicate probably started earlier. Time when I was ‘busy’. Building a career and impersonating myself. Travelling a lot and stock-piling impressions and drama and super hyped destinations and a life in ‘art’. So I couldn’t hear my marrow gently carbonating. Trying to get my attention. Instead of tuning in to my body, I tuned out like a landlocked pirate tuning out the sounds of the sea. And then I stopped travelling and returned to Canada. Got myself tested by Dr Susy Lin, landed in emergency and eventually got full membership into the Cancer Club.
That’s how I found out I have Multiple Myeloma”.
Lisa Ray, actress from Toronto has revealed that she has cancer at the young age of 37. She starred in the critically acclaimed “Water” directed by Deepa Mehta. She broke the news in her blog where she revealed that she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on June 23 and began chemotherapy the following month. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of antibody-producing white blood cells formed in bone marrow and is treatable, but not curable.
Lisa Ray thought a lot before she decided to share her illness in such a public way. Ultimately she wanted to generate attention for this disease, and raise funds to help. In the process of writing her blog, she bonded with her fans as she shared the sad news with them. She said that she had read each and every comment on her blog and was grateful for all the support coming in from all over the world, especially India. Writing eloquently, she said:
“It’s 6:30 am and I have not slept.That’s another thing about steroids. They make you really hyper. And I blame you India. You have sent me so much love. And advice. So I went through each and every message. Like the good, dutiful half-bengali daughter I am. Except I’m not studying for my medical finals, I’m looking at each and every word you have sent”.
Reading through her blog, I had the following thoughts: Lisa is beautiful in spirit and body, full of courage, and I hope there is a cure for her. The blog also made me think about how important it is to be aware of your true feelings, which tend to hide sometimes, to listen to your body which expresses your mental state even when your mind does not, and to really try to live each moment of our lives to the fullest, as you never know how long you have in this world. It makes me want to call and tell each person I love, how much I love them, to do those things that I have always wanted to but postponed because of a “busy” life, and to live an authentic life, to be “me”.
Her blog is here.
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