KOZHIKODE: Many ex-smokers say quitting was the hardest thing they ever did. But K Ravindran, 62, a chain smoker for forty years, says it wasn’t a hard decision at all. At the height of his addiction, he used to puff on an average of four packs of cigarettes a day. But all this changed when he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010. What’s more, over the years, he has helped many quit smoking.
“I came to know about the illness only when I consulted a doctor, for persistent cough and weight loss. I lost around 25 kg in a short period,” says Ravindran, recalling his initial fight with cancer. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010 in its most advanced stage. Oncologist Narayanankutty Warrier, who has been treating him for the last six years, says: “Smoking accounts for about 70 per cent of lung cancer cases. In this case, it was his earlier habit of smoking that led to the development of cancer. He was diagnosed with cancer in its most advanced stage. However, he remained positive and has responded well to the treatment.”
“Many people struggle to stop smoking even after they are diagnosed with the disease. And those who stop will start smoking again at a later period. Here, the best part was he hasn’t touched the cigarette since then,” he says. The doctor also shares an inspirational act of his patient that touched him. “Once, we were returning after a programme in Gudalur. When we stopped at a tea shop, to my surprise, I saw him asking a person to throw away the cigarette in his hand and quit smoking. The person was provoked and it almost led to a fight between the two. However, later, the person threw away the cigarette and promised to quit smoking,” he says.
After retiring as a technician from the Transmission Department of Telephone Exchange at Mananchira in 2014, Ravindran, a native of West Hill in Kozhikode, is now an active member of Pratheeksha, an organisation for cancer patients.
He says his biggest support has been his family, including wife Sindhu, a Biology teacher in Malabar Christian College High School, and two daughters, Shishira and Varsha.