WAY TO GO

This single parent & head master did not let cancer cripple his spirit

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After getting diagnosed with cancer, Dr Deepak Anand cleared a PPSC exam to become headmaster

Avneet Kaur

Kapurthala, August 24

The last four and a half years in the life of Dr Deepak Anand (46), who works as a headmaster at Government High School, Jawalapur, Kapurthala, have been dreadful. In 2016, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a type of cancer in plasma cells), and since then, he has been grappling with pain, weakness and limitation of movement in his left leg. But what keeps him going all the while, he says, is his father’s advice that God has greater plans for him which will make up for the things lost.

Dr Anand, a resident of Sheikhupur village in Kapurthala, is quite versatile, hardworking and an experienced teacher. He holds a doctorate degree in social science and has done masters in various fields, including English literature, philosophy and education. Besides, he has done international diploma in guidance and counselling and is registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) as special educator for specially abled children. But getting diagnosed with cancer turned his life around in ways he had never imagined.

*************The unfateful day

‘What is multiple myeloma’ were his words when the doctors first told him about his ailing condition, he says. “I had always been healthy, had never been in the hospital, and never even broken a bone. I was in great shape and happily taking care of my wheelchair-bound mother, father and a son, who is now 12-year-old,” Dr Anand says, adding that it was a mere sneeze in the early morning of February 13, 2016, that changed his life forever.

“After the sneeze, I started feeling uneasy and felt acute pain. On the same night, I was taken to a private hospital in Jalandhar where I stayed for the next 20 days. The doctors performed tests which revealed that it was cancer that was causing me pain, but they recommended a visit to DMC hospital, Ludhiana, once,” he says.

“By the time I visited the DMC hospital, damage had been done. The cancer had caused lytic bone lesions and fractures in my left leg, restricting my movement. Thereafter, doctors at the DMC hospital made the picture clear to me by telling me that I have multiple myeloma; since then, I have been undergoing treatment,” Dr Anand says, adding that the tough times he faced while battling cancer made him stronger as a person, and now he feels fearless and ready to take any challenge that life will throw down to him.

*************Embracing new challenges

Dr Anand says that at the time when he was diagnosed with cancer, he worked as a master cadre teacher. “I then took long leaves for treatment, but all I wanted was to resume my job for I love to impart education to others and also because I am the sole breadwinner of the family.”

However, in February 2019, I again felt severe pain and underwent another surgery as I was again diagnosed with bone lesions. “After recovering from the pain that surgery caused, I decided to appear for a test for the post of headmaster conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC). I passed the exam and in January this year and joined the job at Jawalapur village here,” he proudly says, adding that the past few years have transformed his outlook towards life and personality and has increased his self-belief. “There is no looking back now. I no longer feel I am disabled, rather I say I am differently abled,” Dr Anand says.

He has been enthusiastically taking online classes these days and has been participating in various webinars and training programmes being organised by the Education Department. “I really want to express my gratitude to Education Secretary Krishan Kumar, Arushi Jain of Indian School of Business and Parmod Bharti, spokesperson of the Education Department, for their constant motivation and support,” Dr Anand says, adding that he is still taking chemo sessions, and next year, will get bone marrow transplant done.

*************Discrimination against specially abled must end

People with disabilities are often looked upon differently, given sympathy and perceived as being incapable of doing everyday tasks or something big in their lives. “The perception needs to change. I, too, have faced such situations when I felt there is no life worth for disabled in the country,” he says. Narrating one such instance, Dr Anand says he once fell off from his wheelchair and people passing by started giving money, taking him as beggar. “We are no less and people need to understand this. We do not need any sympathy; what we want is empathy from society. After all, we have the right to live life with dignity and small efforts of others can make a huge difference in our lives.” he says.