Conquering cancer and living a normal life

'February 2005. I'm just over 20 years old. I'm in my third year at CUET. One day, I suddenly started having severe pain in my right leg. It was like a normal pain. When I went to the doctor, several tests were done. It was diagnosed as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

"It is a type of blood cancer. I did not know about it at first. When I found out later, the sky fell on my head. Then another painful chapter began. After fighting with life for a year, I finally got rid of this curse."

 

This is how engineer Rajshree Ranjan Barua was talking about the beginning of his illness and the days of his recovery from blood cancer (CML). He has been living a healthy life for the past 19 years by taking only medicines. He is currently working in a leading private bank in the country. He also got married in 2012. Starting from family life to professional life, he is living a normal life like ten other people.

 

Rajshree Ranjan Barua said, 'There was nowhere left in the country or abroad that I did not go. In 2006, a doctor from India suggested a bone marrow transplant. Finally, I started treatment as per the advice of Dr. Golam Rabbani Sir, a doctor at Chamek Hospital.  Since receiving treatment under his supervision, I have not had any problems. I am healthy by taking regular medicines.'

 

Doctors say that chronic myeloid leukemia or CML is a type of blood cancer. It is a long-term and slow-growing disease. However, there is nothing to be afraid of just hearing about cancer. There is a treatment for this disease and if the patient receives regular treatment, he can live a normal life. There is no accurate statistics on CML patients in Bangladesh. However, according to doctors, about 30 percent of those affected by blood cancer are chronic myeloid leukemia or CML patients.

 

Abdul Kader, a resident of Sitakunda, works as an auditor in a private company. After a few days of fever, he was diagnosed with blood cancer (CML) in March 2019. That too just after a year and a half of marriage. He is still healthy with regular treatment. He also has a four-year-old child.

 

Abdul Quader said, "At first, I was nervous. Later, I started treatment at Chamek Hospital. I have been healthy so far by taking medicine in addition to regular treatment. There have been no problems. However, patients are advised to take medicine regularly as per the doctor's advice."

 

Professor Dr. Mohammad Golam Rabbani, Head of the Department of Hematology at Chamek Hospital, said, "Once upon a time, blood cancer was a very complex and deadly disease. But times have changed. Nowadays, if a patient is diagnosed with blood cancer, there is no need to panic. It is possible to stay healthy through regular treatment. Chronic myeloid leukemia or CML is a type of blood cancer. It is also easily controlled and curable. CML patients can lead a normal life if they are under the regular supervision of a doctor and take their medicines as prescribed. Treatment for this disease is possible in the country. It is treated in the Hematology Department of Chamek Hospital.

 

It has been reported that more than a hundred patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia or CML, like Abdul Quader and Rajshri Ranjan Barua, are currently living a healthy life after receiving treatment at the hematology department of Chittagong Medical College (CMC) Hospital. They are healthy only by using medicines. Although the price of medicines is a bit high, patients and doctors said that even though the cost has been reduced slightly compared to the past, it is still not affordable for everyone. Therefore, patients are urging to make the price of medicines affordable.