A Daughter’s Voice on Cancer Awareness Day

I still hear the gentle clink of her bangles. I still remember the aroma that filled our home whenever she cooked. Her hands turned the simplest ingredients into magic …. every dish a story, every flavour a memory. The way she’d say, “don’t worry so much. Have faith on God. Life will take care of itself.”

Life did take care of many things, but it couldn’t take care of her.

My mother fought cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer we had barely heard of until the day it entered our lives like a silent intruder. It didn’t arrive with noise or warning. It came softly - disguised as fatigue, mild jaundice, and a little loss of appetite. And by the time we realised what it was, the battle had already begun, without our consent, without our preparation.

And then, I watched her transform ….. not just physically, but spiritually.

But Maa never let cancer define her.

Even on the hardest days, she smiled. She thanked her nurses & doctors, comforted others in the hospital, and said, “Ami bhalo achhi” (“I’m just fine”), even when she absolutely wasn’t. And then, one day in a November night, she just left…..just like that …..a silence so deep that even the walls of our home still echo her absence.

 Her strength was never loud, but it filled every space she left behind.

Cancer doesn’t just touch the body, it reaches everyone who loves the person fighting it. It changes your idea of time, of love, of what truly matters. I lost her, but I carry her courage every single day.

So, Today, on Cancer Awareness Day…

I write not just for her, but for every mother, father, brother, sister, daughter, son, friend and all known and unknown person fighting an invisible war inside sterile hospital rooms.

I write because awareness saves lives.

Cancer wears many faces….. breast, lung, liver, colon, blood, bone, and so many others we barely talk about. But behind every diagnosis, there’s a family praying for more time, a friend pretending to be strong, a patient learning to smile through the pain.

Trust me……..Awareness doesn’t just mean ribbons or hashtags. It means listening to your body when something feels different. It means not ignoring those little signs …. unexplained fatigue, sudden weight loss, persistent pain, unusual bleeding, or skin changes.

It means going for regular check-ups even when you feel fine.

It means talking openly, supporting generously, and never letting fear to silence care because early detection can change everything  and sometimes, awareness is the difference between hope and heartbreak.

So today, if you’re reading this ……… pause, care, and act.

Maa taught me that responsibility toward your most loved one doesn’t end with goodbye and tears; it must beocme a purpose

So here I am, writing, remembering, and hoping.

Hoping that you, whoever is reading this will take a moment to care for yourself and your loved ones. You will go for that test, you will ask that question and you must reach out to that friend.

Because cancer doesn’t wait ; but awareness can make it arrive later, or hurt less.

I was taught that even in the darkest nights, there’s a glimmer of light.

And today, that light is my purpose………..For her………….For every mother………….. For everyone still fighting  and for those who couldn’t stay to see the cure we still dream of.

Sanchita Roychowdhury

GOPSAI AVINANDAN SANGHA

Editor