My Cancer is Me, co-authored by Vijay Bhat and Nilima Bhat, is an account of surviving cancer, not only surviving the malady itself but ‘thriving’from it, as the author puts it. Bhat once suffered from the disease and his spouse Nilima Bhat cared for him throughout the ordeal.
The book is a multifaceted take on the killler disease and examines it from different perspectives. Though the authors explain cancer in light of modern science, its penchant is more towards alternative, holistic, integrated and new age approaches. The authors place a great emphasis on diet as well as lifestyle, both for sufferers and also as prophylaxis.
The authors present case studies of cancer patients helped by them, to expound their views on the disease, in regular intervals of the book. However, most of the case studies presented show an underlying mental disharmony in the patients, and as if this was at some level responsible for the disease. There are numerous instances of perfectly happy, healthy individuals being suddenly afflicted with the condition which contradicts the overall theme of these case studies. It seems a valid correlation that the immune systems functioning have something to do with diseases like cancer, as the authors highlight.
Stress is shown in the book to be a major cause of compromising the immune system and making the body vulnerable to cancer.
The concept of ’wholeness’ as explained by the author is understandable. The book validates attaining wholeness in order to beat a disease like cancer. But, Nilima Bhat takes this further by talking about an evolution of consciousness in different stages. This again makes it pedantic and out of context. Authentic writing which deals in such themes are words which come from experience of what is being talked about, they foster that experience in the reader. Despite the author’s alacrity, writing on such themes in this fashion brings to mind the Taoist adage: ‘Those who know don’t talk. Those who talk don’t know.’
The concluding chapter of the book describes cancer as a path towards evolving to a greater being, and is optimistic that humanity will get there. Though Utopian, this concept might find better place in a science fiction novel than a self-help guide for cancer sufferers.
Nilima Bhat writes in a memoir-like fashion about caring for her husband, the travails in the relationship between a patient and care giver, as well as advice for the care giver. It is a touching account and an honest piece of writing. The chapter on nutrition for cancer patients hits the mark and is useful for any sufferer to follow.
Vijay Bhat’s personal experience in formulating a diet, which he shares with the readers, is invaluable and a useful guideline. Most of the book is well researched, citations along with footnotes are useful for the readers to do further reading on the subject. The author's advice to confront the idea of death honestly is a powerful psychological tool for sufferers of such terminal illnesses. The chapter death and loss is an effective way to weed out fear from a sufferer and cope with cancer better.
There are exercises which are highly introspective, which can help sufferers find catharsis, something which will take the sufferer towards wholeness and healing.
However, one needs the time and the finances to pursue this path, and these facts themselves exclude the approach of this book for most.
But cancer is, perhaps, that call when one needs to drop all one is doing and focus energies like a hermit, to just survive. But surviving cancer in this way leads one to thrive, as the author attests through his experience.