After enduring excruciating pain and months of malnourishment, 67-year-old Laxmikant Thakur finally had a sip of coconut water. While that single sip brought him joy, what truly gave him relief was the fact that he didn’t vomit it. “I had almost forgotten what anything tastes like. Nothing would stay in my stomach. In fact, barely anything reached my stomach, I would throw up almost everything I consumed,” Thakur told mid-day.

Thakur's ordeal began a few months ago with severe throat pain that made it impossible for him to eat or drink. Doctors later found swelling and a lump beneath his oesophagus.