When life throws a curveball, some people duck, while others step up to bat. Professor Sarada Sridevi Amma chose the latter, transforming a dire diagnosis into a mission to help others. Her story, brought to light by Dr. CeeVee, Managing Editor of SheSight, offers a fresh take on facing life-altering challenges.

Professor Sarada is the founder and director of Dr. Sariamma Cultural Integration Services in Kochi, Kerala. With a rich background as a faculty member at the School of Management Studies, Cochin University, and a history of global travel, Professor Sarada’s life took an unexpected turn on June 24, 2022.

Once a self-described “world toddler” with permanent residency in Canada, Professor Sarada found herself facing a formidable opponent: plasma cell leukaemia, a rare blood cancer affecting only one in a million people.

“Plasma cell leukaemia is a type of blood cancer,” she explains, delving into the statistics with the precision of a seasoned researcher. “World Health Organization statistically proved that one out of millionth people – it means 10,00,000 – one person out of 10,00,000 will get plasma cell leukemic cancer.”

In her conversation with the Managing Editor of SheSight,  Dr. CeeVee, Professor Sarada talks about how crucial mental health is when dealing with serious illnesses like cancer. She describes her cancer journey in four parts: diagnosis, remission, maintenance, and the terminal stage. Each part needed both medical treatment and mental strength. When she was first diagnosed, it was a huge shock, but her curiosity and acceptance helped her cope. During remission, when the cancer cells shrank, she stayed cautiously hopeful. In the maintenance stage, she had to continue treatment to keep the cancer from coming back, balancing medical care with the mental strength to adapt to her new normal. She also talks openly about the terminal stage, accepting it and highlighting the need for mental peace. Professor Sarada believes that mental health support should go along with medical treatment, as mental strength makes handling the physical challenges of cancer easier. She hopes her story encourages others to see mental health as an important part of their overall well-being when facing serious health issues.

“Without mental health, there is no health,” she asserts. “Or I’ll quote it health without mental health is no health.”

Professor Sarada’s approach to her illness is unconventional. She refers to her cancer as her “third son,” choosing to accept and contain it rather than wage war against it.

What sets Professor Sarada apart is her determination to use her experience as a catalyst for change. “My vision is to create comprehensive rehabilitation program for cancer patients, focusing on mental health support, generate funds as much as possible, give scholarships to the bystander because the bystander has to understand it is very tough.” She highlights the importance of integrating mental health with medical treatment, advocating for a holistic approach to cancer care.

Professor Sarada’s message is clear and powerful: “Hope against hopelessness. We have to love hope. This is very important because that is what I experienced.” She believes in the power of hope and encourages others to maintain a positive outlook.

The journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Professor Sarada candidly discusses the physical toll of the disease and the impact on her family, particularly her husband’s anxiety about her condition. She also touches on the societal stigma associated with cancer, noting how some people became reluctant to interact with her due to her physical changes.

Despite these hurdles, Professor Sarada remains focused on her mission. She speaks passionately about the need for “onco-psychology” – a blend of oncology and psychology to address the mental health needs of cancer patients. She sees this as a crucial gap in current cancer care that she hopes to fill through her work.

Professor Sharada’s vision extends beyond her own experience. She dreams of creating a model that can help not just current cancer patients, but also potential future patients. “Let my life be used for the existence of the future,” she says with conviction.

Her approach to life post-diagnosis is summed up in three words: “interact, impact, and inspire.” She believes in the power of sharing experiences, creating meaningful change, and motivating others to face their challenges head-on.

Her efforts have garnered recognition. A month before the interview, she travelled to Goa to receive an award at the International Conference of Indian Academy of Health Psychology. Despite her condition, she continues to work and plans to travel to the US in April for further engagements.

Dr. CeeVee, moved by Professor Sarada’s narrative, concludes by highlighting the two common responses to a crisis. “Some people, you know, just think that that’s the end of my world. But there are some who create a new world, and that is what this amazing, wonderful person in front of me is trying to do. I would like to say that you are indeed one in million “

Professor Sarada Sridevi Amma’s journey is more than a story of survival; it’s a blueprint for reframing adversity. By viewing her diagnosis as an opportunity rather than an ending, she’s sparked a chain reaction of positive change. Her mission serves as a guiding light for patients and caregivers worldwide, underscoring the power of perspective and the impact of a determined mind in the face of life’s greatest challenges.

As the interview concludes, Professor Sarada leaves us with a powerful image: “Global interaction, global impact, and global inspiration.” Her story reminds us that even in our darkest moments, we have the power to choose our response. And in that choice lies the potential to not just overcome our own challenges, but to light the way for others.

Her story challenges us all to reconsider how we face our own trials and to ask ourselves: How can we, too, turn our challenges into opportunities to make a difference?

-Staff Reporter