When Rustom Baug resident Villie Daruvala was diagnosed with colon cancer the very foundation of her faith was tested. But she made a conscious effort to fight the malign intruder and regain her health. Can’t Stop Smiling is the victorious survivor’s account of her ordeal and how she tackled it. "The disease struck my body but changed my heart and soul and transformed my life!” she confesses in the Preface to this 66-page book.
"The very word ‘cancer’ instills a sense of fear... of pain and suffering, fear of treatment, fear of loss of job, fear of future of the family, and fear of death,” writes Dr R. S. Rao, consultant oncologist at Dadar’s Sushrusha Hospital and former director and chief of surgery, Tata Memorial Hospital, Bombay in his Foreword. He writes that Daruvala has recounted her experience in a very honest and candid manner, vividly describing "her moments of suspense, anxiety and uncertainty. At times she has broken down and shed tears. Most often, she has faced the situation boldly, in a rational manner” facing and fighting the problem with a strong will and spiritual strength.
Villie Daruvala: determined to live
Daruvala’s world changed on April 10, 2008 when the presence of a malignant growth in her colon was confirmed. In her detailed first person account of her battle for life the consultant in training and communication writes about the power of faith, the need to eschew the blame game, her encounters with doctors (fortunately the book is largely devoid of medical jargon as also of self-pity), support from family and friends, the trials and triumphs of the therapy and treatment she underwent. She tackles misconceptions on chemotherapy, the usefulness of volunteering and counseling as also motivation and the need to hold on to hope.
Through her trials and tribulations has emerged a transformed person for whom the future is nebulous, who is "determined to live every moment fully, as if it were my last. I’m going to do everything I’ve dreamt of doing. That way when it’s time to leave the world I will have no regrets.” And that’s the reason she Can’t Stop Smiling.
The inspirational and eminently readable book, which was released on World Cancer Day, February 4, 2010 has been published by the author, 17 E-43 Rustom Baug, Sant Savta Marg, Byculla, Bombay 400027. Priced at Rs 100 per copy, sale proceeds will reportedly be used to help people afflicted by cancer and toward research in the field. S. V.