Tell us about your treatment.

Mine was a very aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a hybrid of lymphoma and leukemia. My brother-in-law was visiting me from Houston on the day of my diagnosis, my sister flew in the next day, my parents flew in from India a couple of days later and very soon I had the most crowded and lively room in the hospital. I received one of the most aggressive induction chemotherapy protocols I know of. This resulted in me achieving remission on December 7, 1994. After that, I received cranial radiation, followed by an outpatient induction chemotherapy protocol.

My treatment resulted in severe side effects - I had severe scarring of my skin and I lost most of the muscles in my neck. As a result, I couldn't lift my chin for many days. At one point, I weighed 85 lbs. It hurt to walk more than 3-4 steps. During those 49 days of hospitalization, my parents literally gave me a second birth. They taught me how to walk, how to eat. They worked with the physiotherapists to help me hold my chin up in this world again.

How do you feel about the care you received?

I was given the diagnosis of my cancer in one of the worst displays of communication by a doctor I have seen, but beyond that initial interaction and another horrible experience with a resident in the hospital, I was blessed to receive care from the most caring and sensitive of physicians and nursing staff at the University of Wisconsin - Hospital and Clinics.

My experience motivated me to focus my research at NCI on studying the impact of provider-patient communication on patients' health outcomes. During my talks, I often present the good, the bad and the ugly of doctor-patient communication from my personal experience as an example of why it is important to train our providers to communicate empathically with their patients.

How has your health been post-treatment?

I do suffer from several long-term effects that started during treatment and have persisted over time. These include dry mouth, vertigo and low sperm count. (However we have been able to successfully conceive, although unfortunately we lost our baby, but there is hope for the future.) I do have some short-term memory problems, although not very pronounced, so I don't know to what extent this is a facet of lifestyle/age related factors. Overall, I have been very lucky to experience minimal long-term or late effects, most of what I have is fairly manageable.

What sparked you to become involved with Cancer Survivors Project?

One of the joys of my life today is the friendships I have made with fellow cancer patients and survivors on several Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR) listserves. I am very proud to be associated with a group of resilient people whose will to survive, help, share, and support each other thrives despite all the hardships they face. The Cancer Survivors Project is a wonderful example of how we are translating our difficult experiences into something positive and powerful. My hope is that we can help future generations of survivors and be an important voice in shaping the delivery of follow-up cancer care.

What thoughts would you like to share with people who are just discovering this website?

For those who do not suffer from many or any late-effects, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed. But, being informed about your situation and playing an active role in your follow-up care is perhaps as important as any medication or test you receive. Please realize that not everyone suffers from late effects. Much depends upon a range of factors: your age at diagnosis, when you were treated, the kinds of treatments you received, etc. You may never have more than minimal, if any, late effects. However, knowledge can help you identify problems that may be related to your cancer and play an active role in your current follow-up care. Read the information on this website at a pace you are comfortable with; it was created to help.

Have your friends and family been understanding and supportive or bewildered?

I don't think that this is an either/or question. Anyone who has to personally face cancer for the first time is bound to be bewildered. But despite that feeling of shock, disbelief, bewilderment, my close friends and family have been very supportive. In fact, understanding and supportive are gross understatements. I don't think I would have been the proud cancer survivor that I am today without their love and caring. Even among my casual friends and co-workers I have been lucky to have had very positive interactions. Both places I have worked since my diagnosis were in the business of doing research in the area of cancer, so everyone was very sensitive to my needs and appreciative of my experience.

What keeps you going?

As I look back I have a lot of be thankful for; from the relatively disabled young man patiently fighting his battle in a room at the University of Wisconsin hospital in 1994 to a relatively healthy cancer researcher today -- indeed I have come a long way. However, I am most thankful for the presence of my lovely wife Daksha in my life. I met her five years after my cancer diagnosis and proposed to her at the stroke of midnight on Dec 31, 1999 as the world moved on to the new millennium.