Coping with cancer

Ranjana Srivastava, a Melbourne oncologist, recently launched her first book Tell Me The Truth: Conversations with my patients about life and death. Sixty odd professionals, Ranjana’s friends, her publishers and book lovers attended the launch at Book Street in the prestigious Toorak village precinct. In the book, Ranjana has collated the intricacies of her profession with the anxieties of her patients.

As the hectic signing of the books slowed down, Ranjana read one particular episode from the book; about a young mother with advanced cancer who wished to be returned home to die. Ranjana debated with herself before she acquiesced to the patient’s request, but was left with the difficult task of justifying her human viewpoint to the children. The patient died within the next twenty-four hours, and her husband and young children were extremely grateful for the opportunity of having her home.

Ranjana’s ability to juxtapose words with pathos, to balance human yearning against professional practicality, and especially her command with worded descriptions touched hearts.

“The most wonderful thing about any achievement,” Ranjana said, “is having someone to share it with.”

Mr. Ian Hamilton of the Cancer Council requested Dr. Doreen Akkerman, to launch the book. Dr. Akkerman, AM was Director of the Cancer Council for twenty years and is now Director, Strategic Health

Communications International. Evidently choosing not to dwell too much on the sufferings of cancer patients, Dr. Akkerman was brief. She recognized the great need in the community for a book that addressed the very human aspects of battling the disease, and touched not only on the struggle of patients but also that of carers. Ranjana was educated in India, the UK and USA, and she graduated from Monash University, Melbourne with First Class Honours. She has won several awards in medicine and has spent several years of her life in India. In fact, the book opens with the touching experience of her own family when her Nanima (maternal grandmother) was diagnosed with advanced cancer. Ranjana completed her internship, residency and specialist training at various Melbourne hospitals. In 2004, she won the prestigious Fulbright Award to study at Chicago. USA. She has published in Time magazine, the Week, the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care Management, among various medical journals. In 2008, her story Ode to a Patient, won the Cancer Council Victoria Arts Award for outstanding writing.

A mother of three, Ranjana has been acclaimed in various Melbourne newspapers, also on radio and national television.

George Thakur

Pushpa Vaghela’s life has been spent on several continents: her childhood years in Africa and later in the UK as part of a large Gujarati family. In her new book Beyond Boundaries, she chronicles her struggles as a young girl saddled with the responsibility of looking after her large family after the sudden death of her mother; her marriage to Chandra, a kind and loving man, and his untimely death which placed her in the invidious position of having to bring up her two young children as a single mother. It is an inspiring story of how a meek and self-effacing woman took charge of her life, and made something of it despite heavy odds, by dint of hard work and courage. Along the way, she attended a series of life affirming Leadership Seminars that were conducted by the life-coach guru Tony Robbins (of NLP fame), which seem to have been a powerful impetus. She is effusive and lavish with praise when talking about Tony Robbins’ seminars and the power of NLP – indeed, so convinced was she about the power of those ideas that she became a coach and trainer herself, and helped many people change their lives for the better. Vaghela even set up her own life coaching outfit through Galaxy Coaching business on arriving in Australia in 2007. Through that and her charity works, she has tried to make a difference and give back to society as much as she could. So much so that in just over a year after making Australia home, Galaxy Coaching won the “Outstanding Business of the Year” award in 2009 and Vaghela was also recognized for her community and volunteer work. She continues to help scores of people on the Gold Coast and Brisbane through both her business and charitable work, and Vaghela story should be an inspiration to any Indian woman – indeed anyone at all – who wishes to make a difference to themselves and others.

Chitra Sudarshan