Just weeks after celebrating his 60th birthday in July this year, veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai said he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He underwent a successful robotic surgery in August to remove the cancerous prostate, in what he said marked a “turning point” in his life.
Prostate cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer among men in India, especially older men, and has a five-year survival rate when detected early.
In his weekly video vlog, “Straight Bat with Rajdeep Sardesai,” the journalist shared an emotional account of his battle with cancer and said that the year has been life-changing for him.
‘Cancer? Me?’: Rajdeep Sardesai’s first reaction to the diagnosis
Rajdeep Sardesai shared that he was informed about this diagnosis via a WhatsApp text from his doctor. In utter shock, the journalist said that he stared at the text “unblinkingly” more than a few times before thinking to himself: “Cancer? Me? How? Why?”
Sardesai said that he had no major history, nor any symptoms to suggest any looming health crisis, but a routine medical check-up culminated in a fusion biopsy, revealing the malignant tumour.
“A planned holiday to watch the exciting, nail-biting India-England test series was now turning out to be a rather unsettled summer of growing trepidation and apprehension of the unknown,” he recalled, describing the mix of emotions he was feeling at the moment, especially self-pity.
“The C word somehow still evokes anxiety and can even be terrifying,” he said.
How did Rajdeep Sardesai fight cancer?
Rajdeep Sardesai revealed that it was the reassurance from his son, a surgeon, that helped him find some perspective.
“If you have cancer, Papa, prostate is perhaps the best one can get. It is slow-moving and eminently curable,” his son told him.
Over the next few weeks, the journalist said, while talking to the experts and undergoing a series of tests for the cancer, he got to know stories of other cancer survivors, which gave him the strength to counter the disease.
What is prostate cancer?
According to the Mayo Clinic, prostate cancer is a growth of cells that starts in the prostate, a small gland which is part of the male reproductive system that helps make semen.
Early signs of prostate cancer:
The Mayo Clinic said that an early-stage prostate cancer often doesn’t cause symptoms, but when they happen, early-stage prostate cancer signs are:
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