These are the kind of words that can shake anyone to their core – the most terrifying and life-altering words you could ever hear. As someone who has heard those words, I vividly remember feeling as if the walls in the doctor’s office came alive, echoing the sentence in a strange, oppressive symmetry. Those words had a strange way to linger on, suffocating me, refusing to let go.
As tears ran down my eyes, my words choked. Would I be alright? As the doctor spoke, I barely heard the words anymore. My mind had already taken flight, pulling me into another world where all kinds of scenarios played out. And that’s when I knew how fragile our mental fortitude truly is, how it can break under the strain of pressure.
I understood then, that mental strength wasn’t just a luxury — it was a necessity, the anchor that would keep me grounded when everything else seemed to spin out of control. I am writing this as someone who understands first-hand on how crucial mental health is in the fight against cancer.
Every cancer warrior will agree that the first fear that grips them – after you receive such news – is not only for yourself but for your family, your future. The “what if” questions haunts you at night: What if I don’t make it? What if my family is left without me? What if I never feel like myself again? Can I afford this treatment? Will it leave my family broke? And these questions are often swept under the rug in the broader conversation about cancer care.
For me personally, faith played an integral role in navigating these dark waters. I clung to the belief that there was a higher plan, that God had something in store for me beyond the pain. I leaned on my spirituality to find strength when my mind told me to give up. But faith alone wasn’t enough. I saw how many things helped in my fight against cancer. So what can one do? What can society as a whole do in this collective fight against cancer?
I do not want to make this sound formulaic, but the suggestions but here are some thoughts based on my own experience:
Talk about the Emotional Battle: We need to openly acknowledge that cancer isn’t just about fighting the disease, it is about surviving emotionally. If you or someone you know is facing cancer, let’s make it a point to talk about the mental and emotional side of things, not just the treatments. Sometimes, just being able to say “I’m scared” or “I’m struggling” can lighten the load. Talk to someone you trust and know there are people backing and supporting you every step of the way. You will be surprised how humanity shines through. When you’re facing something like cancer, it’s easy to feel isolated, but the kindness and support that will emerge will remind you that you’re never really alone.
Need for Compassion in the Medical Fraternity: Throughout my journey, I’ve encountered both deeply compassionate doctors and those who were more clinical. The difference was staggering. We need to ensure that our healthcare professionals don’t just focus on the disease, but also on the person living with it. The simple act of a doctor or a healthcare worker listening or showing kindness can make all the difference. When healthcare professionals speak with compassion, it’s not just the other person who benefits but the family as a whole—it heals them too.
The Urgency to Create a Supportive Network: If there is one thing lacking in our State, it is support groups in our community. In Meghalaya, there is a noticeable gap when it comes to the availability of these support systems. I remembered searching for these frantically but found none when I was first diagnosed with cancer. So yes, it is high time to come together as a group especially amongst survivors and offer support to those fighting this. Seeing your example can be a beacon of hope to the rest.
Make Mental Health Care Accessible: I know how hard it can be to ask for help, especially when it comes to mental health. And for many, it’s even harder to get professional support. We need to make therapy and counselling available to every cancer patient, no matter where they live or what their financial situation is.
I was overjoyed when Megh Can Care was launched. Megh Can Care is a cancer initiative in Meghalaya aimed at providing early detection, screening, and comprehensive care for cancer patients. I can imagine how uplifting it must have been when Megh Can Care launched their mental health helpline (14410)! Their efforts to provide basic counselling sessions offer much-needed emotional support to cancer patients. In fact, the service isn’t restricted to just one session but to multiple sessions.
What’s even more encouraging is that, for cases needing deeper attention, the service has a built-in escalation process, where patients are referred to government psychiatrists and psychologists — free of cost. This is particularly important in a region like Meghalaya, where access to specialized mental health services can be limited, and therefore connecting via the phone, ensures that every patient gets the level of care they need.
The one feedback I can give is that it must have a multilingual navigation system rather than just Hindi or English. And perhaps to have a dedicated website for it, also showing how people are benefited from this initiative. It took me five minutes to search for the helpline number.
Help Each Other Understand: Cancer is tough for everyone involved — not just the person diagnosed, but their family and friends too. I learned that the people around me sometimes didn’t know what to say or how to help. Heck! Some were downright rude. On first speaking about having depression and suicidal thoughts, (caused by mental stress and medications), I was given a lecture about how I should not think about such things. Mental breakdowns are real, and until more people are educated about them, we won’t see the empathy that is so desperately needed. It’s crucial that we break the stigma and learn to support each other through such difficult times.
It is Okay to Not Be Okay: I realised during my journey how many people don’t talk about the emotional side of cancer. We keep it hidden, as if we have to be strong all the time. But it’s okay to be vulnerable. Society praises those who are “strong” or “brave” in the face of illness, but strength shouldn’t be measured solely by how well you endure treatments. It should also account for how you face the fear, the loneliness, and the doubt that come with this fight. Acknowledging these emotional burdens is not a sign of weakness but that we are only human. It is OK to not be OK.
Advocate for Mental Health during Treatment: I can tell you that the mental battle often feels just as hard, if not harder, than the physical one. We need to push for mental health care to be treated as essential during cancer treatment, not something optional or secondary. Counselling sessions have to go side by side. Every cancer patient is walking through an emotional minefield with every phase, and they deserve to have the tools to manage it.
Raising Awareness: In Meghalaya, the silence surrounding cancer is deeply painful. So many people live in fear, believing that talking about the disease will bring shame or judgment, and this stigma prevents them from seeking the help they need. Cancer is still seen as a taboo, especially in rural communities. This fear causes many to suffer in silence, often delaying diagnosis and treatment when it could save lives.
We need to break this cycle of silence. By raising awareness, we can show that cancer is not a death sentence, and that coming forward is an act of courage, not something to be ashamed of. Let us stop saying that someone has “C”, and identify it as “CANCER”. There is nothing to be ashamed of.
Today marks World Mental Health Day, a time dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and we are also in the midst of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. So, let us offer more than just a pink ribbon or a hopeful word—let’s advocate for mental health support as a crucial part of cancer care.
Awareness for me isn’t just about facts; it’s about human stories – of survival, of fear, of hope. By talking openly, I hope to empower others to seek help, find their voice, and know that there are people ready to support them in their own capacity.
In the end, cancer changes you. But if we address the mental health component with the same urgency as we do the physical, it will not break anyone. Instead, it can strengthen everyone, not because you’ve endured it all on your own, but because they’ve had the courage to seek the help they need to heal — not just the body, but the mind and spirit as well. For those of us who have survived, we owe it to those still in the fight to make sure they have the emotional support needed to conquer the disease, inside and out.
(The writer is a breast cancer survivor)
