NITI Aayog Director Urvashi Prasad, Opens Up On Lung Cancer Diagnosis, Mental Health Challenges, Life And More

During an exclusive interview with HerZindagi for the “Shakti Rupena Samsthita” podcast series with HerZindagi in which we shine the spotlight on women who have embodied strength in some way or the other. This time we interacted with NITI Aayog Director and cancer survivor Urvashi Prasad who opened her heart to us and said, “all I try to do is live everyday as well as I can…; ” “no I just take it day by day, I have no long term plans which obviously I cannot have…;” and “I think caregivers should also remember to look after themselves...”

Let us take you through her journey of cancer diagnosis, coping, mental health and much more.

Urvashi Prasad, Director At NITI Aayog, Dancer And ALK Positive Lung Cancer Patient:

In this particular interaction we met Urvashi Prasad, who is the Director at NITI Aayog and is also someone who is living with cancer. She is a patient of a rather rare sort of cancer which is called ALK positive lung cancer.

But there is definitely a lot more to her than just her disease; she handles the responsibilities of a very prestigious office, is a trained Salsa, Bachata and Belly dancer and has been a source of inspiration for many young women on how to take life in their stride and go on despite all the adversities it throws in your path.

Decoding The Myths Around The ALK Positive Lung Cancer Patient In Urvashi’s Words:

It is a very rare cancer which is called ALK positive. ALK is a gene that is present in almost all human beings; but for some reason it gets triggered in some people and it leads to an uncontrolled replication of cells which we commonly understand as cancer.

In rather simple terms, it is called ‘non-smokers’ cancer’. This is because the tendency to think that if any cancer originates from the lungs it must be rooted in smoking.

But this cancer variant happens to non-smokers and younger women have a higher predisposition to this type of cancer. Generally, lung cancer happens in older people, but this one has been common in a younger diaspora of women. What is more peculiar is that women of South East Asian descent are particularly prone to this disease. While all these are generally believed reasons for the acquisition of the disease; one doesn’t really know why it is actually caused.

The Route Of Treatment For ALK Positive Lung Cancer:

Cancer is not one disease, it is actually two hundred types of diseases with so many sub-types and even within a type of cancer there are different varieties which a patient can be suffering from.

So the treatments are widely varying, which range from surgery, radiation, surgery to now something new which is called targeted therapy. Urvashi Prasad, mentions that this is the sort of treatment she is on saying, “in this treatment you take oral tablets everyday and they specifically target the sort of cancer that I have. But every type of cancer or even every individual having even the same sort of cancer; could be on a different treatment and medication.”

The research for treatment of this cancer is under way since it is a rare cancer. But since the numbers are increasing. Hence, more research is required on how to improve someone’s life span with this. But as of now, till the patient has to be on medication till they are alive. But the challenge is that the cancer often becomes resistant to a particular type of medication; then one has to switch medication and there are only so many options available. So having more types of medicines for the disease is very important to prolong someone’s lifespan.

Urvashi Opens Up On How Did Your Cancer Get Diagnosed:

She mentions she was physically completely fit and had no symptoms. In addition to the fact, somebody so young and a non-smoker; one never thinks of lung cancer. That is the last thing that you think of, and that the doctors think of.

She further mentions, “It was only when I became very sick last year, but all my symptoms were liver related because by then the cancer had already spread to the liver and the various other parts of the body. So, in my case it is called stage 4 or metastatic; which means from its origin it has spread to different organs of the body.

The symptoms I had were loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea which led to a biopsy which revealed the cancer. The reasons behind this disease could be anything right from air pollution to mental trauma or anything at all. The fact is that more medical research is required to be able to answer these questions.”

Urvashi’s Mental Health Journey From Cancer Diagnosis, To Coping And Living With It:

Urvashi promptly opens up and says, “mentally it has been very difficult and that is one of the areas that we don’t focus on enough when it comes to cancer. We just look at the physical manifestations of the disease and its treatment. In fact, even socially and in all forms your life just turns on its head.”

She further adds, “for me the few months after my diagnosis, I mean I was in a state of complete shock. I was unable to understand what had hit me and I was in severe depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. I had to take anti-depressants and my oncologist helped me with that since he saw that I was struggling.”

“One does need help with their mental health when hit with such a tornado of a disease and seeking and accepting help is nothing to be ashamed of.”

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Urvashi On The Societal Reaction To Her Disease:

As a society we are still very uncomfortable, and in circumstances such as this, we often do not know what to say and how to react. Urvashi says, “It is not rocket science, whether it is cancer or just grief which I was dealing with because I lost my father the year before I was diagnosed with cancer. So more than offering words of solace, we just need to be able to sit with people in their moments of grief and listen to sans offering any judgement or solutions.”

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With Urvashi’s example it is safe to say that it is never too late to pick yourself up and move forward in life with courage and hope. She is truly a symbol of strength and inspiration for all human beings; and women in particular.