Monsters in the dark: What you did not know about cancer
On April 15, Artistes Against Cancer in association with the Bangalore Little Theatre and THSTI brought a play titled Monsters In The Dark to Delhi, courtesy the Indian Cancer Society (Delhi Chapter).
Being in the creative field and knowing that the cause was good, I went to see the play and after watching it I realised that my opinion and apprehensions about cancer, like anyone else, still treated it like a monster. But the play laid it all out in the most digestible manner where I understood that my fears and stigma was far removed for reality.
Humanity is always fascinated with the unknown, and what could be more unknown than what is inside us, killing us slowly and unpredictably?
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel — The Emperor of All Maladies — is brought to life on stage, to challenge our ideas of the “right ways” to address something as complex as cancer. Stories about cancer that we are familiar with, are the tales of survival or death. But the story of the struggle against cancer is one of resilience, hope and hopelessness — all woven together. This play is an effort to tell the story of cancer as it is — the trails, tribulations and the magic that human endurance can bring about in our fight against this beast.
Come with us as we take peek into the lives that shaped our war on cancer, from a humble mouse to a poor weak cancer survivor who won legal battles, to the doctors who put their profession before love, life and happiness.
About The Play
The play, adapted from The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee is about people. The people who have soldiered through fiercely demanding regimens to survive, the people who have endured with them, and the people who have worked to increase our understanding of cancer.
The play takes you through the history of cancer treatment and research across time with stories of frustration and energy, structure and leadership, grief and survival, hope and risk, failure and endurance, isolation and confidence.
Cast And Crew
Actors: Abhishek Sundaravadanan, Deepthi Adappa, Meera Girijan, Minti Jain, Prabha Venkatesh, Ratneshwar Banerjee, Sneha Sridhar, Vignesh Suresh
Playwrights: Ravi Chari, Kavya Srinivasan
Produced by: Bangalore Little Theatre
Directors: Murtuza Khetty, Deepak Mote
My close encounter with cancer
Two years ago I was informed by the family doctor that my 82-year-old mother was diagnosed with cancer, and all hell broke loose. Like anyone else, it is the fear, stigma and the sense of loss, and helplessness that hits you head on. We sprung into action and got her admitted at the premier medical college in Vellore. Interestingly, my mother was a student from that very medical college.
Everyone now knows the basic protocol which is the test, biopsy and on the confirmation, one goes in for radiation, surgery or chemotherapy, based on the type of cancer and which stage it is in.
In all of this, I completely forgot to even ask my mother what she felt and how she was coping with it, as I was busy racing to see if I can do whatever it takes to save my mother.
My mother, being a doctor herself, seemed unmoved and was not amused with the frantic pace with which I was going on with all the tests and setting up everything for treatment. Till late one afternoon, a few days into therapy, she decided to share how she felt. She was not just crystal clear, but rather firm on the choice of not going through treatment. She went on to explain that at 82 she felt that one has lived a good life, and there was no need to prolong it in agony. She had come to terms with her illness and the fact that she has lived, and done what she has to do in this life, and was ready to embrace death.
To me, it was quite a shock and I was not ready to give up the fight. Most people believe that winning a fight ends with a cure, but for me, it was not the cure, but the acceptance that was going to be my win. Two months ago, I lost my mother to cancer but I believe that she had won the fight of life — to be able to live it to the fullest in all its glory and to have the courage to accept that it has to end one day.
The difference here was how did one choose to end it — on one's own terms, or linger on for those few more months, and live through a struggle and pain — just because we don't know when to say it’s over.
The relief is that she did not have to go through a painful treatment and live her last days in a hospice. She was a strong-willed woman and often said that she wanted to die on her feet, and so she did — at home with all her loved ones around.
What I learnt from the play
1.) Cancer is just another disease. Our fear does not stem from cancer itself but from the lack of information. The darkness that makes everything seem a lot scarier than it actually is.
2.) Choice matters: The choice starts from being open to going in for routine cancer checks, so that in the event that one has it and it is at an initial stage, cancer is curable. Strange, but not many talk about the thousands of cases where people have won the fight against cancer and lived to tell their story.
3.) No. It is not the foreign-hand theory. Cancer resides in a numb state in our bodies and is not something that comes from outside. It is an imbalance and the trigger inside the body that then allows the cancer cells to blast out of its slumber and attack the body. The triggers are numerous, though the best-known one is smoking.
4.) The emotional symptoms of the disease are far greater than the physical symptoms. It takes a huge toll on the patient but can be made easier to cope with, if the doctors and caregivers work in tandem. In most cases, friends and acquaintances tend to sympathise rather than empathise.
5.) Medication and treatment take care of only half the problem. Love takes care of the rest.
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