March 14, 2014

Needless to say, I woke up at 5:30am and went straight to my email. No news had come from my doctor. Did my normal routine and worked from home, so that I could nurse the bone marrow biopsy area. I fixed myself a cup of coffee and when I checked the emails, one had arrived from my doctor. After reading through the first line, it was clear - Cancer is back ! That moment in time is frozen in my brains. I felt like a billion tons of brick had come falling on my head and shoulders.

Managed to read through the email...by the end tears flowing like a waterfall, and semi-paralyzed, called my wife at work and asked her to come home. Kids were home by then and knew something was not right with daddy. With all the emotions flowing, I let them know Leukemia is back, and that my doctor has a solid plan to treat me. They cried along with me and we all settled few minutes later.

Then I called my brothers -- first tried to call my eldest, as he has been like my father, in my dad's absence. Couldn't get him; then called my brother at Harvard, who understands this type of cellular disease from a biology / physiology point of view.

Then I had to make the most difficult phone call -- to my mother, who had returned from India only a few days back. She was expecting to spend couple of weeks with my family in a happier circumstances, as she had witnessed the worst of things last year as I was recovering. I let her cry her emotions out and once she settled, she began to formulate plans in her mind as to how to help.
Thanks to my children, wife, my mother and brothers / family that I was able to control my emotions and begin to think logically and objectively.