Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : June 5, 2014 2:26 PM IST
Yuvraj Singh's father Yograj Singh, a former test cricketer has been diagnosed with vocal cord cancer. According a report in the Indian Express, Yograj Singh is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital in New York and has already undergone surgery to remove a tumour in his vocal cords. It is believed that Yograj was diagnosed with cancer a few months back after his voice chocked and he developed breathlessness.
The Yuvraj Singh Cancer Story
Yuvraj was on the top of the world in 2011, having helped India vanquish the demons of yesteryear by helping India lift the World Cup. His performance in the series was exemplary and he was even adjudged the Player of the Series. So it came as a quite shock when the aggressive southpaw was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in his left lung. He underwent chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston as well as Medicine Facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was discharged from the hospital after the third and final cycle of chemotherapy and returned to India in April.
What did Yuvraj suffer from?
Yuvraj was diagnosed with a malignant tumour between his lung and heart known as seminoma. A seminoma is a kind of tumour usually found on the male reproductive organ. In Yuvraj's case, it was located in the superior mediastinal region (the upper area between his lungs, just above the heart). Dr Anupama Hooda, director of the oncology department at MAX hospital, Delhi, said that in Yuvraj's case there was a 95 per cent chance of cure with therapy, and the chances of recurrence were almost nil.
'If we can, you can', Yuvraj said along with fellow crusader Manisha Koirala at a cancer awareness event in Kolkata. The actor has become one of the leading voices against cancer awareness, highlighting the battle in his book The Test of My Life and writing an editorial forTOI asking for greater cancer awareness in which he called for people to be more aware about the different types of cancer, particularly cervical cancer. 'How many of you have insisted that the woman in your house be it your wife, your sister or your daughter gets herself screened at least once a year for breast or cervical cancer? Why must a woman feel ashamed or scared of going to a hospital and asking for a mammogram or a pap smear? What makes it worse is that there seems to be a certain stigma attached to cervical cancer. In fact, the moment you mention the words cervix and screening together women will feel embarrassed and men, be it fathers or husbands, will shy away from the subject, simply because it is associated with sexual behaviour. This is the biggest mistake that is taking place in households across India, be it in the cities or villages,' he wrote.
Yuvraj's amazing comeback needs to be shared as far and wide as possible because he's a living, breathing testament of the fact that cancer is not the end of life. On his comeback into the Indian team, he had said: 'It is the passion to come back. If you have the passion, you can come back. This is the reason I am back. Hopefully, I can play a few more years for the country.'
What is cancer?
Cancer is a group of over one hundred diseases characterized by abnormal, uncontrolled cell growth. In a healthy body cells grow, die and are replaced in a very controlled way. Damage or change in the genetic material of cells by environmental or internal factors result in cells that don't die and continue to multiply until a massive cancer or a tumour develops. Most cancer related deaths are due to metastasis, malignant cells that penetrate into the circulatory system and establish colonies in other parts of the body. Great advancements have been made but cancer is still leading cause of death for people under 85.
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