Radhika was working in Chandigarh at the time her cancer was diagnosed, and with the COVID-19 lockdown in place, she could not even travel back home to be with her father. “It began with fatigue, vomiting, and rapid weight loss. I became so weak that I had to crawl down the stairs. My condition deteriorated within one and a half months. My father took special permission and came to pick me up. The hospital immediately admitted me in the ICU. My condition was so bad they said I might have a cardiac arrest at any time.”“Ovarian cancer is rightly called a silent killer because many of its initial symptoms are either ignored or mistaken for common menstrual or gastric issues,” she says.
Radhika with friend Anmol and her aunt Sonia
Radhika is now living with her partner Param, whom she met on a dating app, who accompanies her to the hospital, and her bua Sonia never left her alone. “My bua keeps coming to the hospital whenever I am there, and my friend Anmol is someone I cannot thank destiny enough for. She was the one who would bring food for me every single day in school. She would ensure I ate well and would never judge me when I spoke about domestic or physical abuse that I faced.”When asked how she manages her expenses, Radhika has no concrete answer. “My father was a heart patient. He suddenly passed away in 2022. He came out of the washroom, fell, and died. He was into trading and was, at that time, deeply troubled by his financial losses. He was not left with a single penny when he died. I was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, and he died in 2022 worrying about me. Since then, I have somehow managed. Money comes in the form of donations, but it is not always sufficient. I earn a little from freelancing, and there is a kind soul who sends me some amount every month. But yes, my expenses are around ₹2–3 lakh a month, which is very difficult to meet. I have registered myself as a clinical trial patient and am undergoing immunotherapy. Cancer came back four times in six years, and this time it has spread to my lungs, liver, and other parts. The battle is tough, and there are days I feel like giving up. But then I have my dog, whom I do not want to abandon like my parents did to me.” Radhika’s story just slashes your heart. Her voice, her smile, and her whole demeanor are so affable that you want to do something for this girl, but when you hear her story, you are horrified.“Ever since I was born, I have seen my parents not getting along with each other. Every two days, policemen would visit our home, and I would be sent off to relatives’ houses. As a child, I felt abandoned and like a burden. I was not given food and was beaten black and blue. Sometimes my father would give me some money so that I could buy food and eat. I was physically abused when I stayed at my relatives’ place and when I did tell this to my mother, I was again beaten up. My childhood was all about pain, hunger and abuse.” One can gauge the depth of Radhika’s traumatic childhood by the fact that even while recounting those details, she shudders and trembles.
Radhika seems to have taken all the pain in stride, yet she shows immense gratitude towards the handful of people around her, like Param, her bua, and her friend Anmol. Through her instagram account she bravely shows her journey and her innocence melts your heart. Money may be a constraint, and how she will manage her expenses tomorrow may be a question she does not want to confront at this point. But Radhika is eager to live, to enjoy every bit of life, and to embrace whatever comes with a spirit of bravery and acceptance.She is a stark reminder that even in the face of unbearable pain, abandonment, illness, and uncertainty, the human spirit can still choose hope, love, and the courage to keep going
