Month: February 2018

Inspiration/Motivation/Help

Cancer For A THIRD Time. When Will It Learn, IT CAN’T MESS WITH ME!

So… what’s been going on you ask? What’s with that chemo drug you were talking about on Facebook? I thought you said it wasn’t for cancer… and now you posted this? Well, let me explain. Recently I started a “chemotherapy” drug, but not for cancer. It’s called rituximab  – and it’s not only in brackets because it’s technically, in my case, not a chemotherapy, as it’s not “A chemical agent used in the treatment of cancers” (it was given for another condition I have – a side effect of my bone marrow transplant; chronic graft versus host disease. I’ll explain […]

Inspiration/Motivation/Help

How to build self confidence and become the happiest version of yourself!

I was diagnosed with leukemia at 17 and given a 10, maybe 20 percent, chance of living. And I was devastated… as any human being would be. But after a while I started to dislike that feeling. The constant depression. The tears. The gut-clenching dread. I wanted this to all be over. I wanted a way out of the hole that I’d found myself in. But with chemotherapy, uncertainty, and probable death in my future, there wasn’t much to really look forward to. In the end, what ended up helping me most wasn’t this spark of inspiration or willpower or bravery after watching some […]

Inspiration/Motivation/Help

Your Mind is the best way to Lose Weight and Get Fit. Not crazy, unsustainable, diets (or bootcamps!)

I talked about this topic on radio recently. Have a listen to it if you want (it’s at the bottom) Heaps of people around me have been saying how much thinner and healthier I’ve started looking, and almost all of them have been asking me how or what I was eating or doing to get there… a few even asked if everything was okay… healthwise. Well, no, I’m totally fine, and I did mean to lose this weight.  To be honest though… it wasn’t really that hard at all. Everyone talks about how they can’t stay on a diet and […]

Blog, Health Challenges and their Fixes

My Social Enterprise – How it’s going to save HUNDREDS of thousands of lives. Get To Sleep Easy!

My life changed a few years ago when I was told, “Nikhil, the good news is you’re 17 and you have leukemia, but the bad news is you’re 17… and you have leukemia.” Then I asked him the one question every cancer patient dreads: “What are my chances?” He looked at me, sighed and said, “10-20 percent that you’ll live the next five years.” Somehow, I got through that. But it did get close. Quite a few times actually. And now that I’m a medical student and cancer researcher, I can appreciate just how close “close” actually was. During my treatment, I suffered […]

Blog, Inspiration/Motivation/Help

Cancer Patient Plays Well, and Wins Big For Charity.

Last post:                                     My Story:                                         Next One Recently, I was given some pretty bad news. I’ve got bronchiolitis obliterans, a lung manifesation of the graft versus host disease that plagues me after my bone marrow transplant. Essentially, it’s my donor’s immune system (in bone marrow transplants, you inherit the blood making cells of your donor, which includes their white blood cells) attacking me. This time though, in the lungs. […]

Blog, Inspiration/Motivation/Help

How it Feels to Have a Chronic Illness. And How to Explain it to Normal People.

Last post:                                     My Story:                                         Next One  “How are you going these days Nikhil?”  It’d been literally half a year since I’d seen this group of friends – my med student buddies – and I had to do the rounds. This question came up a lot. And almost always, it was about my health.  “So yeah I’m actually good!” I’d always start, smiling and gesturing wildly so as […]

Blog, Inspiration/Motivation/Help, Medicine and Science

An Open Letter to Doctors from a Scared Patient in Scared Times.The Best Doctors I’ve had. And the Worst.

Last post:                                     My Story:                                         Next One Being a patient isn’t easy. Especially when you’re in hospital in an emergency situation, as I was last week… For those who didn’t know – I presented to emergency last week, midway through chemo, with shortness of breath and they ended up finding a new cancer on my fourth rib on the right. Don’t worry though – I’m fine!  They removed […]

Blog, Inspiration/Motivation/Help

What’s Going On. My Eye-Opening Experience. And How I Got Through It.

Last post:                                     My Story:                                         Next One Latest Updates at bottom of post. Video of this here: It happened again. In the other eye. But it’s OK. I didn’t lose that one =] Update here: So this morning, I left a weird status update on my personal Facebook.  I know a few friends and family are worried about this, as some of you reading this may be, so […]

Blog, Health Challenges and their Fixes

How We Prepare To Feed 10billion People. My Essay Response.

Last post:                                     My Story:                                         Next One Preparing for an Impending Food Crisis. This was my entry into an international essay competition to pick delegates for the annual, amazingly inspiring Youth Agricultural Summit (find out more about it here). Results come out in March. Wish me Luck!! Well… I actually won this! And got to go to the International Youth Ag Summit – and we delivered our decleration […]

Blog, Humour In Hospital

You won’t believe what my friends got me before chemo… Boys will be Boys. Humour in Hospital #7

 Last post:                                     My Story:                                         Next One Last #HIH:  Next #HIH: Chemo was about to start.    At this stage I was ready. I’d taken a step back from the depression and shock of diagnosis. I’d questioned all my doubts and fears and was now focusing on being as healthy and as happy as possible. The only things I could control.   I’d locked myself up in my […]