Story of faith & courage… cancer journey of Gurvinder Kaur

Story of faith & courage…

cancer journey of Gurvinder Kaur

Daljeet Bakshi

Sometimes life takes such a sudden turn that changes the course of life . Those stressful moments push back , but a sting willpower , faith and determination brings back the confidence to fight the situation and come out as successful one . Sharing a story of dear friend Gurvinder Kaur , who at the age of 35 have attained lot of accomplishments in the fields of cooking , fashion,social work and have been campaigning for various causes for women.

My name is Gurvinder Kaur, I’m 35-yearold female - a Stage IV Colorectal metastasis to Liver & Breast Cancer Survivor, International Social Activist, Celebrity Chef, India Director of a UK based NGO Jaikara.org. uk & a Founder of a Women Leisure Wear Brand named NEKKI OFFICIALS where we support & empower Women Tailors who had tough times during Covid to have better livelihood and sustainable earnings.

Life was going so smoothly; I was at the stable stage where my Chef career was going so well. In July 2020, I had an International tie-up with a Canadian company to curate customised recipes using Indian millets, whole grains and Indian herbs with their team of expert nutritionists for their clients. Until God gave me another job to do. Covid has affected everybody’s livelihood in 2020, so did Women tailors too. One day my mom was searching for a tailor to get her suits stitched so our next-door aunty sent a lady to our house who knows stitching. While talking to her she started to cry that she doesn’t have any food at home for her kids and since morning she was searching for work. Although mum helped her and gave her work too, somewhere I couldn’t sleep that night thinking about how so many ladies like her would be suffering with the same pain and financial insecurity.

Therefore, I decided to empower women like them by giving them employment, not help. Here NEKKI OFFICIALS-unfold goodness, a Premium Women Leisure wear brand was born in Oct 2020. We aim to spread happiness through our Garments & goodness (NEKKI-Achai in Hindi) through our small act of kindness while touching many lives of our Wonder Women NEKKI Team. We have kept our packaging Eco-friendly, where we deliver our goods in specially curated Reusable Cloth bags since I’m against the use of Plastic and has been raising awareness for reusable products including sanitary pads from past 7 years. It comes with a special Seed paper ‘Thank you Note’ for our lovely Clients which they can tear and sow with love to a beautiful plant.

While establishing Nekki, I worked really hard from walking miles for quality fabric to weighing a lot of weight while shopping raw material from the wholesalers. Somewhere, I compromised my health in between and had a drastic weight loss of 10 kg in 2 months with constant bleeding from anus, which I considered as piles as I was having the same treatment for the past 6 months. When visited the doctor with symptoms of bleeding with stool and bloating, the doctor diagnosed it as Piles as CT Stomach and other full body tests were normal, just haemoglobin was low that was due to constant bleeding.

In Feb 2021, when my body started giving severe alarms then I decided to visit a Laparoscopic Lady Surgeon in Amritsar who examined me and even she initially diagnosed Piles/ fissure. Again, got a whole abdomen Ultrasound and full body test, everything was normal except haemoglobin dropped to 7gm. Even after one month of medicine, the bleeding wasn’t stopping even for a day. Then she suggested I should go for a colonoscopy to find out the actual reason. Had a Wedding at home which delayed the test for a week, since I knew something was majorly wrong with my body and didn’t want anyone to know about my health condition therefore kept a fake smile throughout the wedding although enjoyed a lot while twinning with my darling 7-year-old daughter.

Story of faith & courage…

cancer journey of Gurvinder Kaur

16 MARCH 2021 (THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE)

After attending that wedding, I started bleeding vigorously which made me get an urgent appointment for a Sigmoidoscopy by my doctor where she accompanied me on my request as I wanted a female doctor to be present. While doctors were doing the procedure, I myself 1st time, saw a tumour inside me… fully covered with blood and it was quite big in size. Both the doctors kept quiet and asked to get the biopsy and then I figured out its Tumour but didn’t want to believe my eyes or ears at that time. I asked my doctor to be honest with me as I have to share this worst news with my family and have to be mentally prepared for it. Therefore, she said it’s 80% its Cancer tumour rest they will confirm post biopsy, and followed MRI, CT SCANS, PET SCANS, BLOOD TESTS and what not. However, the same day we got all the tests done, got the reports and by evening the doctor confirmed its Colon Cancer stage was yet to be confirmed by a biopsy report. I called my brother informed him and told not to tell mom as she’s a hyper BP patient and lives alone in Delhi. They visited me the next morning and took me to my brother’s house in Chandigarh to discuss all the reports with various doctors from UK, US, Dubai all over India. The overall opinion came forward was its STAGE IV COLON CANCER METASTASIS TO VARIOUS REGIONS OF LIVER AND through blood lymph nodes has formed in both the Breasts.

Next morning, we left for Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, Delhi where we got all the Test yet again to be sure and wanted to believe whatever was being said in Amritsar was just a nightmare. Sadly, the reports were almost the same. The doctor said there is no scope of surgery and I could survive max 2 months as it is widely speeded and I could have multiple organ failure anytime for which they will take a full consent form on the day of the admission. They can start with radiation and chemotherapy for which they will put a small value on my chest and I could have a urine/stool bag for 6 months or so. Overall, the same reviews came forward from all the doctors wherever we sent the reports. By the time, my brother and Sister-in-law in the UK got the news, consulted NHS UK doctors, Cancer Research UK Doctors, even they said 2 months max life I have. Therefore, they booked their tickets and came straight to India despite of Covid and are still here right next to me as a supporting pillar.

Next morning, where everyone was busy consulting doctors and booking appointments in various Hospitals in India from Mumbai to Kerala.

I told them ‘MY DECISION OF NOT TO START CHEMOTHERAPY’ and landed in a hospital bed. If I have only a few months to live I would rather spend every second right next to my daughter and spend quality time with family, which obviously my family

would not agree to, but they couldn’t force me.

Then everyone started searching for alternative treatments which thousands of Indian people are opting for as a Cancer Treatment. We came to know about Cancer Healers Homeopathy treatment, went to them with all the reports and they guaranteed that their medicine will do wonders within one month. Initially they gave medicine for 2 weeks, which helped me in bloating and stomach pain but bleeding did not stop even with any medicine. Before, biopsy and all the tests I never had any pain in my stomach or liver but after all these tests I started having severe pain in my colon area and in my liver that I could barely stand on my own. Somehow, this medicine didn’t work despite spending nearly lakh on one month treatment.

TIBETAN AYURVEDA- Mcleodganj

Then in April, we came to know about Dr.Kalsang Deonden in McLeodganj Himachal,India who treats his patients with Ancient Tibetan ayurveda medicine and has thousands of testimonies. When we reached there taking a token was a challenge, people were waiting in the queue from midnight to get morning tokens for medicine. After hearing from the testimonies and relatives of the Cancer patients we believed that we have reached our destination of right alternative medicine. I consulted Doctor, he did his prayers before giving me medicine and checked 1st morning urine through some glass and stick, and said you have Cancer in your stomach, which shocked me. how does he know even before checking my reports? That made me believe him blindly and I started my treatment with full faith in God and his medicine. My health started to improve in 1st month of medicine but then dropped gradually up to a level that I had ‘FULL BLOCKAGE IN MY STOMACH, HAD SEVERE NAUSEA FOR ALMOST 1 MONTH, STARTED TO FAINT WITH PAIN’

Finally, fainted with pain and full blockage in stomach and landed in the DEATH BED of Hospital in Amritsar on 08 JULY 2021. Where the doctor who knew me literally scolded me to hell that ‘THIS IS HOW YOU WANT TO END YOUR LIFE, IS THIS HOW YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTER TO SEE’ then realised that I don’t want my story to be UNTOLD. Therefore, I decided to share all the efforts of my 7-year-old daughter’s support during my Cancer treatment to post on social media @mumcancersupport_gurnoor on Facebook, Instagram & YouTube so that when she grows old enough to understand what she did for me in this toughest phase of my life she should be PROUD and if couldn’t make it she should know that her Mum did fight well like a Leo.

THEN I BROKE UP YET AGAIN & AGREED TO GO FOR CHEMOTHERAPY DESPITE OF ITS SIDE EFFECTS or whatever life span God has given me will value it.

Visited World Cancer Care Centre in Jalandhar with all my reports and met a doctor there who was known to explain everything so well, without scaring the hell out of us. He booked the next appointment at DMCH- American Oncology Department in Ludhiana where I met Dr. Davinder Paul who is my treating doctor. He explained everything and followed all genetics and biopsy tests which were never asked by any other doctor we consulted. However, he started Oral chemo from 13 July, 2021 onwards.

On 28th July 2021, on my Birthday I second time donated my more than 12” inches of Hair to HAIR FOR HOPE INDIA to make wigs for Cancer Patients. Last time in 2018 on my Birthday, I donated 19inches of my hair to LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST UK where they make wigs for Cancer Patients and spread smiles. At that time, I wasn’t aware of the pain and insecurity of losing your hair but this time when I’m suffering from the same disease I can relate with their mental state. Therefore, I decided instead that they go wasted in the bin as chemotherapy side effects, I choose to donate them to spread happiness whosoever will receive the wig made with my hair will be happy.

HAD FIRST CHEMOTHERAPY ON 04 AUG,2021 till 14 AUG 2021 I’m on double dose of oral chemotherapy medicine where doctors are doing their job and my God will eventually heal me completely. SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY-Changes in Taste of Water, Insensitive Taste buds, pain in bones, nerve got black, excessive sweating, body shivering, diarrhoea, swelling on face.

I have completed 6 circles of Chemotherapy followed by 2 more circles to be completed. Although with God’s grace and blessings of my loved ones managed to smashed major part of the tumour which was seen in my latest PET SCAN and reports. Now waiting for the Final reports in January to be declared as Cancer Free.

I am sharing “MY CANCER JOURNEY” on my Instagram chefgurvinder.k_cancersurvivor to connect with other fellow survivors to inspire, motivate and heal together. I wish to raise awareness about Cancer so that people come forward to get the screening to protect themselves and their loved ones. My daughters support on @mumcancersupport_gurnoor

I am sharing my story because due to wrong treatment and no early symptoms my Cancer reached to Stage 4. People should come forward, take their personal health on priority especially Women who tend to care for everyone by neglecting their own self and get the screening if they feel changes in their body to detect this life threatening disease in an early stage.

What an amazing determination and courage Gurvinder has . And above all her faith in Dhan Sri Guru Ram Das ji and Darbar Saheb Sri Amritsar . She used to do lot of sewa at Golden Temple and going through the journey during cancer treatment , she visited and paid obedience at Darbar Saheb accompanied by her little cute daughter . Her faith , prayers and family support has given her a new life . We wish her and family a joyful healthy life . Now , it’s passion for Gurvinder to raise the awareness for women health . We wish her good luck.