The first question that arises when someone is diagnosed with cancer is, “Why me?” It’s a question that often goes unanswered. My mother is the most disciplined person I know. Her daily routine was unwavering. She woke up every morning between 4 and 4:30 AM, went for a half-hour walk in our neighborhood park, and did some exercises at the open gym area. Upon returning home, she would freshen up, prepare breakfast and lunch, and get ready for her job as a middle school teacher. By 7 AM, breakfast and lunch were ready. She left for school at 7:15 AM and returned home by noon.
After returning, she had lunch. She took an afternoon nap for about an hour to an hour and a half. After waking up, she completed household chores, had dinner before 8 PM, and then went for a half-hour evening walk with my father. By 9:30 PM, she was in bed. This was her daily routine. I often marveled at how she adhered to such a strict schedule, wondering how she never grew bored of the routine.
Throughout her life, she has followed all the “right” things for her health. She always drank water half an hour after every meal, and only while sitting. She was the one who forced us to stop using regular salt and sugar, replacing them long ago with black salt/rock salt and jaggery powder/honey. My mother avoided refined flour, white sugar, white salt, white rice, oily food, and whatnot. She rarely ate outside food, and even then, only in small amounts. She had no other health issues like diabetes, thyroid problems, or asthma. It has only been in the last year that a medicine was prescribed for her blood pressure.
She never smoked or drank, nor was she a passive smoker, yet she was diagnosed with advanced-stage lung cancer. It’s hard to believe.
Worldwide research shows that only 10-20% of non-smokers can get lung cancer, and my mother was among those 10-20%. The first thing that came to our and my mother’s mind was that she has always been kind, never speaking or thinking ill of anyone, and spent most of her time at home with her family, then why her? The truth is, Cancer differentiates no one, and it can happen to anyone, literally anyone.
Since my mother was a non-smoker, a genetic mutation caused by an unknown carcinogen may have led to her cancer. Identifying the specific carcinogen responsible is extremely difficult and not knowing the cause of your disease can be incredibly stressful.
In moments when no one can answer the “Why me?” question, blaming it on God or fate seems to be the only way to find some peace. I believe that God places us in situations we are capable of handling. Perhaps we are the ones, God deemed strong enough to face this challenge.