So, picture this crazy journey called life, right? I found myself tangled in a web of judgment and questions about my illness—cancer, to be precise. The blame game was strong, with elders dropping gems like, ‘Your lifestyle is the culprit,’ and a cab driver casually wondering why I was rocking the bald look.

I answered his question in brief and he said with a deep sigh, ‘Kids these days just will not stop binging on junk, we used to eat healthy but kids today are controlled by their tongues.’

He didn’t even take a second to judge me as a kid with unhealthy food habits. I was fuming inside but then told myself, ‘Is why he is probably still a driver.’ I know, it is nastier but that was how my mind responded.

He started easily in a relaxed tone that they had found some blast cells in my blood reports. He went on to explain that these are problematic as they have reached a certain level of 75% it was.

At that time, I had no idea what ‘blast cells’ meant.

I was listening to his explanations when he suddenly said cancer. I stopped him mid-way and asked why did he say cancer and that’s when he told me I had Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

I was stunned and went silent as if I didn’t know how to speak. I think I even forgot to breathe for a moment. I looked down at the floor, everything was blurry, thoughts racing in my head cause my mind could not process the truth being told.

My adrenaline and cortisol brought me back to the present. I somehow found my voice as I collected my thoughts, and asked him, ‘Why me?’

Can you guess what he told me?

“No reason,” he said plainly. ‘It just happens, we cannot pinpoint a clear reason as to why it got into your body.’

‘What could be the reason?’ Though I never used to dwell on that thought for long. Because I had accepted my fate the moment my doctor delivered the news along with the facts. 

I did not ask further as to ‘Why’. I jumped onto the ‘How.’ I started bombarding him with questions regarding my treatment, and the process. I wanted him to tell me that it is treatable, and give me surety that this all can be put in the past.

I think my mind went into an extreme defensive mode at that instant after the shock. I was ready to fight it out cause my inner voice screamed, ‘I want TO LIVE.’ That was it. I had accepted and moved on to the next big thing.

He told me that he had never met a patient before who would ask him questions from the get-go without being faced. He felt endangered somehow, lmao. Only I knew how hard I was trying to hold back my tears. I could feel the lump building up in my throat.

But there were days I did wonder, ‘Why me? ‘

I had close acquaintances and friends of my own asking How could it be possible because I used to be such a healthy child, “we learned to eat healthy in the hostel because of you” one of my friends said.

And not just me my family too was bothered by this question at the back of their heads—someone who has spent her whole life of twenty-one years eating healthy, home-cooked meals. I have not fallen seriously ill ever, never been to a hospital for treatment or any ailment, never took a sick leave because I was ill.

I was pursuing Fashion Communication in my dream college. Living the perfect life. I was going out getting what I wanted and things were going how I had planned.

But I learned the hard way that life rarely goes as you plan it.

Cancer is something nobody anticipates even in the wildest of their dreams.

It is almost a taboo in a household with a healthy lifestyle.

Yes, there could be several factors causing blood cancer as science suggests- Pollution, smoking, alcohol, radiation, exposure to certain chemicals. The reasons are all a combination of both Genetic and environmental factors, blood cancers are still not clearly understood as to why they happen.

Nobody asks for cancer to happen. So, who do you, the people blaming ‘today’s kids’ want me to point my fingers at or rather let us say pick a reason?

No finger-pointing or blame games here—just a nod to life’s unpredictability. Acceptance wasn’t a surrender but a strategic move to redirect my energies towards practical solutions.

Embracing the hurdles of treatment became a symbol of my determination to face the storm head-on, not in rebellion but with a commitment to steer its course.

I must accept it as it is. That is the only way. The inclination was not to ruminate on the ‘why me’ but to redirect attention to ‘how can I surmount this.’

It did not take me long to accept it that there is no exact reason for it. The only thing that got me out of this life-threatening situation.

Acceptance.

And I thank my head for that, for just accepting things as is not rattling my mind to find the meaning behind everything. Discovering the power of Acceptance. You know it saved me.

A part of me is still in turmoil by such an unexpected turn of events but just giving a hug to it saying ‘okay, I accept you’ made it easier to bear the painful treatment. It made me accept the treatment early on with all its conditions.

There were no contemplations. My body started responding to the treatment well. Acceptance makes things easier on a long hard journey. You do not fight back, you fight it head-on, face-to-face.

You cannot fight destiny but you can change its course. That is in your hands. Like a sailor who cannot control the storm but can direct the sails.

It is all within God’s design. If you are an atheist let it happen. It will be easier. Have faith in yourself. Trust me, I know it is not as easy as I am stating but, IT. WORKS.

Give up on rambling your mind, beating yourself for things out of your control. Giving up is moving on. Move on to the next question. You need solution not to further entangle in incontrollable situations isn’t it so? Focus on what you can do NOW. In my case it was accepting the treatment.

Me saying to give up DOES NOT mean to back down from the fight completely. Do what YOU can do now.

Acceptance isn’t a magic eraser for pain, but it sure eases the load on the soul. It’s an invitation to live in the now, to focus on what I can tackle at this very moment. So, as I whispered affirmations during chemo sessions, I wasn’t resisting; I was accepting—inviting the treatment with open arms.

I would tell myself, ‘I will not let this disease control my mind or my heart.’  Every time I get injected with chemo, I would say to myself, ‘I welcome you in this body. Now do your wonder.’

In the grand tapestry of life, acceptance emerges as a potent instrument—one that doesn’t obliterate anguish but alleviates the burdens on the soul. Moving forward becomes easier. Your heart will ache less.

In Conclusion…