Mumbai teen beats stage-4 cancer with extraordinary resilience and hope

Neha Kale, assistant headmistress of the English secondary section of Vidya Mandir School in Dahisar, was diagnosed with malignant mixed Mullerian carcinosarcoma in October 2021. “I bled continuously for six months. Considering my age, my doctors first thought it was because of menopause. However, it didn’t stop despite a hysterectomy and removal of my ovaries. And then the biopsy reports came back positive for cancer,” said Kale.

While Kale did take a short break of three months initially for her rigorous chemotherapy sessions, she resumed teaching in no time. “It wouldn't have been possible without the support of my family, friends, colleagues, and students. Some days were terrible, and some days were good. The first week was ridiculously painful every time I returned from a chemo session. I wasn’t even able to get up for simple things. The nausea and headache felt deadly. But things got better by the third week. I had to undergo six chemotherapy sessions, each of which took place after a break lasting 21 days,” said Kale.

Kale spoke of how her students supported her. “I would sweat a lot. Wearing a wig was just not convenient for me. I would tie a bandana or a scarf, but even that did not help. Seeing my discomfort, my students said, ‘Miss tumhi bald pan khup sundar dista’ [Miss, you look beautiful even if you are bald right now].’ This was major encouragement,” the Marathi teacher said. She chose not to let the disease derail her passion for education. “Even today, I experience numbness in my feet. Her colleagues say her determination was evident from the very beginning, as she balanced medical appointments with classroom responsibilities, refusing to give up on the role she loved.

Case Study 2
Sheer willpower

Shourya Uday Devrukhkar’s courageous battle against stage 4 neuroblastoma has emerged as a powerful story of resilience and hope. Diagnosed at a young age with the aggressive form of cancer, the teenager faced a long and physically exhausting journey marked by intense chemotherapy sessions, repeated hospital visits and prolonged periods of isolation from school and friends.

“She got admitted to Sathaye College in the Science stream after scoring 82 per cent in SSC. Two months later, she was detected with cancer, and her life changed in the blink of an eye,” said her father, Uday Devrukhkar. Despite the severity of the illness, doctors and family members say it was her unwavering willpower that stood out the most. "Even during the toughest phases of treatment, she remained focused. Giving up was never an option for her," said Shraddha Devrukhkar, Shourya’s mother. The teenager underwent a total of 33 proton therapy sessions and eight chemotherapy sessions every other month.

Her chemotherapy concluding in December last year. “Her right side is quite weak, and she is undergoing physiotherapy,” added Uday. While the road to full recovery remains long, her progress has brought renewed hope to her family and caregivers. “A cheerful, talkative girl otherwise, today she has become a total introvert and does not wish to even speak to her friends. But she is not giving up. She never says no to medical visits. That gives us strength and hope that she will return to her original self,” said Shraddha. Though this year, too, Shourya won’t be able attend classes, Uday said she continues to hope to pursue a career in the medical field.