Dear Brian,
Everyone here thinks the world of you and I can see why. If you go through my profile you will find that my life has been one long coaster ride - I have had the very best of life and also seen the worst - all in all I have led a life that I will never regret. My war with cancer created medical history as it has been one of the most unusual cases ever ( well thats what the doctors tell me!) I was never expected to survive on a number of occasions but always bounced back with a stronger desire to become normal. I had cancer of the larynx - diagnosed in April 2000 and it was in stage 4. Removal of the voice box was not an altrenative but the only option. I refused to remove my voice box and made it clear to my doctors that I was prepared to die rather then give up my voice that I had been born with and had become pretty fond of it to loose it - no way!!
Today after countless surgeries - some very major and life threatening, others minor - I have emerged a winner. I have my voice, my vocal cords which they said had become so fixed to the tumour that they would never move - are moving and in unison as they were pre cancer. I survived a massive ( enough to kill ) dose of radiation , went through chemo without loosing a strand of hair, beat perotonites ( an ulcer burst in the stomach )where the doctors gave me no chances as I could not breahte nor eat and my weight droppe down from 80 kgs to a mere 37. I have been through a life threatening fungal infection behind my brain at the back of my head - which could have not if fatal, paralysed me neck down and finally ( amid many other such ) I began bleeding fresh blood in January 2004 and the doctors unable to control it called in my entire family for the last time and in fact it was not to be and surprised the doctor and I was declared cancer free.
The doctors in India are world class and even though I have the resources I never wanted to go abroad for my treatment and made the right choice. I have temprory problem (temprory as it will be rectified next month) - whereby I have not eaten orally ( a fallout of the overdose of the radiation) for over four and half years and "breathe" through a silicon stoma. The stoma has been left open so that the doctors can make their periodical check ups and not really for breathing purposes.

I am scheduled to appear on a US talk show hosted by a famous personality and it will be aired in the first week of November 2005. My life story is also being made into a full feature movie as they find my entire life a very colourful one and the same is also being serialised for the Indian TV on a popular channel. My story is now due to appear in the Readers Digest, India- as one of the best stories of the year ( it was out in the newspapers in sept. 2003 and serialised right upto date ). Even though I have these tubes to contend with - I work fulltime as the VP - sales, Indian subcontinent for one of the best known nd expensive automobile companies in the world and am also now into modelling for some of the biggest intenational and national brands.

The best part about living life strong is that I am married to a beautiful woman, have two sons 16 and 14 and a great mother. They were my source of strength through out my battle and without them I really dont think I would have made the impossible possible as there would have been nothing to look forward to.

A lot of people do not believe all what I have written here and I do not blame them. They only realise it when they read the doctors reports and my story from the newspapers. Believe me( if you can and do ) Brian, I am not trying to blow my own trumpet - but want you to convey a message to all - that nothing is impossible. All it requires is acceptance of the illness and knwoing the clock cannot be reversed. The only way out is to fight and thats where ones attitude plays a major role. The doctors can treat you for the illness to an extent but largely its you who should be mentally strong to take on the cancer head on. I keep reading about people writing and giving opinions that should be left to doctors as at times they could be very misleading and think Mark does a great job in trying to curb such things. Kudos to both you and him. [img]http://ananth[/img]

I will keep you appraised of the programme which will be aired worldwide and do hope you will see the same. I am not to sure about the excat date of when its going on air - but will know next week and then revert to you. It would be great if members of this site would also take some time off to watch the programme as believe me it will be worth each ones while.

Thanking you for your time, if you have been though my entire topic.
Warmly,
Ananth Shenoy