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A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION A BIANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF ASSAM CANCER CARE FOUNDATION
The Second Sunrise

The Invisible Journey of Life After Cancer

The silent vertigo
The final ring of the brass bell in the oncology ward Dr Thamizholi Selvaraju
is loud. For months, Ms Jahanara had imagined this Senior Consultant
moment. It marked the end of one and a half years of Radiation Oncologist
chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and maintenance Barpeta Cancer Centre
targeted therapy for Stage III breast cancer.
But when the ringing stopped, a strange silence
followed. fatigue: an exhaustion that sleep does not fully
repair. It can make returning to work and daily
“Everyone expects you to celebrate,” Jahanara duties difficult.
says, looking at her reflection as her hair returns as
soft, dark fuzz. “They say, ‘You beat it!’ But you walk 3. Brain Fog and Broken Wires
out of the hospital gates and realise your old life is “Chemo brain” is real and frustrating. Survivors may
gone. You are standing on the edge of a blank map.” struggle with memory lapses, multitasking and
This is the hidden reality of cancer survivorship. cognitive exhaustion. Many have to relearn how
Treatment brings a defined calendar: appointments, they work, plan and communicate.
doctors, nurses, family support and one urgent The road ahead
mission to survive. After treatment, survivors are
often asked to return to normal. Yet for many, normal Challenge: Lingering physical fatigue
has changed. Strategy: Pace daily energy and plan rest.
Challenge: Social disconnection
The invisible battlefields Strategy: Join peer-led support groups.
The public may see hair growing back or a survivor
returning to work. What remains unseen are the Challenge: Anxiety of recurrence
struggles that continue below the surface. Strategy: Practise mindfulness and seek

1. The Ghost of Scanxiety counselling where needed.
For a survivor, every new symptom can feel loaded. Challenge: Professional re-entry
A headache is not always just a headache; it can Strategy: Discuss flexible hours, phased return or
trigger fear of recurrence. This vigilance often remote work options.
peaks before routine check-ups, a distress known Rewriting the script
as scanxiety.
True survivorship is not about pretending the trauma
2. The Battery that won’t charge never happened. It is about building meaning from
The physical toll does not end with the last dose of what remains.
medicine. Many survivors live with cancer-related
For Jahanara, this meant leaving her job and starting
The Survivor’s Gap a local foundation that provides counselling to
low-income cancer patients.
Active Treatment Survivorship Phase “Cancer strips away everything that does not
Phase Ê Sudden matter,” she says. “It forces you to see time as
Ê High medical independence precious. I did not survive only to return to the same
supervision Ê Pressure to adapt routine. I survived to live with intention.”
Ê Clear milestones Ê Invisible symptoms The journey of a survivor is not a straight path to
Ê Visible community a happy ending. It is a daily act of reinvention:
support choosing, one day at a time, to step into the
morning light.

40 Awareness empowers. Action protects. 41