KOZHIKODE: Her family and friends were devastated when doctors gave her just four months. But, Dr Neena Muneer fought her way back to life. Now, she is preparing to publish her personal notes from her days of illness in the form of a book.
Just like any other young professional, Neena, from Kodiyathur, in Kozhikode, was leading a busy and fulfilling life. After completing her studies, she started a clinic in Ernakulam and was enjoying her career and social life. It was during this phase, quite unexpectedly, that she discovered the shocking truth: She was suffering from cancer.
From that moment, her life changed entirely. What began as a painful struggle against the disease slowly transformed into a journey of reflection, strength, and writing. Neena says that she was never someone who wrote or even thought of writing earlier. “Like everyone else, my life was about work, selfies, and social media. But when I was confined to the hospital bed, I started writing to overcome loneliness. Those notes eventually became the manuscript for this book,” the 35-year-old recalls.
The journey was not Neena’s alone. When doctors told the family that Neena had only four months left, her world seemed to collapse in an instant. The most heartbreaking moment came when Neena had to cut off her hair, something she cherished deeply. To give her daughter courage, her mother, Sophia, a retired schoolteacher, shaved her head first. “As a mother, I felt I had to stand by her. When her hair had to be removed, I shaved mine, too, so she wouldn’t feel alone. That was my way of giving her strength,” Sophia recalls, her voice filled with emotion.
Neena believes that the support gave her the energy to move forward. “This illness taught me that patience and love are life’s greatest treasures. When I lost the hair I loved so much, my mother’s courage and love helped me keep going,” she says.
“Notes from the Cancer Bed” captures not only the pain of treatment and the side effects of medication but also the silent fears within a patient and the hope that eventually grows stronger than fear. Renowned writer and literary critic M N Karassery and medical entrepreneur Dr Azad Moopen have written forewords for the book. The release is expected by the end of October.
For Neena, cancer did not mark the end of her life; instead, it gave her a new beginning. She now works as a clinical auditor at a private hospital in Kozhikode.