How life turns upside down, sometimes in a snap of a second, sometimes in a blink of an eye, and sometimes in quiet silences in between the seconds that feel so hauntingly hollow.

There was crisp chilly cold February air all around in 2022, when Rita, my aunt, finally went to the hospital after months of ignoring the persistent pain in her back. She was and still is one of those characters who is very stubborn, readily willing to help others but reluctant to take time for herself and take care of herself, perhaps like many homemakers, she too had the guilt in taking some self care time just for her. The doctor’s words were sharp and heavy: “Sorry, you have breast cancer.” And the ground beneath her feets slipped away. She had too many overwhelming and distorted emotions to make sense of what’s going on and what’s going to happen. And her family who were just as shocked as her or perhaps even more, stood like a rock with her. She began her chemotherapy and after sometime did the mastectomy of both her breasts. Things were just beginning to make more sense when there was another setback. A lump was detected in one of her breast and she had to do the operation again. In the same operation her ovaries were also removed because the hormones emitted from the ovaries could risk the cancer growth. But due to some complications and ignorances in her operation, within a week, she had to redo the operation in her breast, before the previous wound had even begun to heal. An incredibly painful and complicated experience, but she conquered it like it was so easy thing for her. She went through radiation therapy after sometime and was put on oral medication. Everthing was getting under control, she was recovering and the doctor said she doesn’t have breast cancer anymore but will have to stay on oral medication for sometime.

Then few months passed and suddenly she had some recurring intolerable pain in her right leg, the doctors said it might be a side effect of the radiation and asked her to rest more as there is no cancer, she doesn’t have to worry. This pain was persistent and continued for a couple of months. In October 2024, she was again diagnosed that her breast cancer had metastasized to her bones, which in medical terms means stage four cancer. If death; the character from “The Book Thief” had been watching that day, he would have noticed the sky’s reluctant surrender to night. He would have noticed that the color of the sky turned from beautiful twilight blue to pitch black dark night where darkness and silence felt so long like it was forever. How cruel the nature and the sky felt, it didn’t shed a single drop of rain, as if mocking the sorrow below. The diagnosis was crushing but Rita, my aunt, she showed up for every appointment, every injections, every side effects like a hero. In February she went to India, Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre in Delhi for the treatment. The doctors there asked her to do some PET scans and told her that the cancer had spread to her lower spine and lymph nodes. There is no cure or operation they could do to remove and make her cancer free.The only solution is to put her on chemocycle, not to cure it but to keep it stable, to keep the cancer from spreading more and taking more of her. So all they could do is put her on chemo cycle for indefinite time, which means, as long as she can take it, as long as her body doesn’t collapse. She began 6 cycles of chemotherapy from February which finished in June 2025. Each round of chemo is taken after the 21 days of first chemo. After the followup and more PET scans, the doctor again put her in another 8 cycles of chemotherapy. Currently, she just finished her third cycle out of the eight and is heading to her fourth chemo round. While her physical body has been enduring all the side effects of multiple chemo, she holds tights onto hope that she will get better. She keeps going on and on after mutliple chemo rounds, keeps positive mindsets and even inspires her friends in her “cancer survivor’s group”, where people like her who have cancer come and talk and encourage each other. She never shows exhaustion in her face or voice. Some days the pain is sharp, other days it’s the hollow silence that haunts and weighs heavier. Yet she finds reasons to smile. She laughs when she can, rests when she must, and holds on to the small joys like the smile of her loved ones, a call from a friend, the warmth of the sun, the birds flying freely in the sky and the fresh breeze of the air outside. But her physical body can only take so much load. Deep down, she is tired and she is in pain.

There is no permanent cure at this stage; the only goal is to keep the cancer under control for as long as possible. This journey has taken an immense toll on her body, mind, emotions, and finances. Even with insurance, the costs are overwhelming; treatments, medications, body scan tests, travel to specialists, and the doctor’s appointments, all expenses add up. Amidst all these chaos, she has kept her character upfront like a hero, never getting defeated by the demon, which is cancer. She rather has been defeating cancer so far. She has faced hardships that few can imagine, yet she continues to persevere. She continues to teach us all with example that how fragile life can be and how strong the human spirit is. If all of us come together and with our kind empathetic heart to be generous to support her, we can give her the resources and strength she needs to keep conquering and defeating cancer. I humbly request everyone that let us all come together and stand together with her, supporting her journey, because your support can make a tangible difference. Every donation, every share, every prayer will help cover her treatment costs and give her strength to keep going, give her more time; more mornings to wake up with hope, more evenings to feel the love of her loved ones.

Let’s stand with her in this fight !!! It’s often said that a symbol is more powerful than anything else in the world. Let us all come together and support her with financial donations, kindness and love. With a lot of empathy, let us show our support to her and be an example that if people come together, they can help conquer the most difficult challenges. Let us, through our actions, be a symbol to Rita, and many patients like her, a symbol of hope, strength, solidarity, unity kindness, humanity, resilience, and love.