“I Am, I Will”: Dr Renu Khamesra’s Four-Time Triumph Over Cancer*
World Cancer Day Special
The very word cancer still sends a shiver down the spine. Minds race, hearts sink, families freeze in fear. But on World Cancer Day, Udaipur offers the world a story that challenges this fear head-on—a story of grit, grace and an unbreakable human spirit.
Meet *Dr Renu Khamesra, a senior neurologist, former Head of Department and Associate Professor at RNT Medical College, Udaipur, who retired in 2006 but never stepped away from service. Even today, her doors remain open for patients in need—offering free neurological consultations, guidance and hope. For her, medicine was never a profession alone; it has always been *seva.
What makes her story extraordinary is not just her service, but the battles she has fought—and won.
### *Four Cancers. One Will to Live.*
Dr Khamesra has survived cancer *four times—in **1994, 1995, 2002 and again in 2023*.
At a time when even hearing the word cancer felt like a curse, she faced it repeatedly—not just as a doctor, but as a patient. Her first diagnosis came just 15 days before her wedding in 1994. What began as abdominal pain turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cancer that had spread throughout the abdomen. She was referred to Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, where her real journey began.
“I told them clearly,” she recalls, “I am not a doctor here. I am only a patient. I surrender myself completely to your treatment.”
Multiple rounds of chemotherapy failed initially. Her condition worsened—hemoglobin dropped dangerously low, immunity crashed, organs struggled. A re-surgery revealed a hidden tumor. Once removed, recovery followed—almost miraculously.
That was just the beginning.
### *From Survival to Service*
Post-treatment, fearing infection, she temporarily stepped away from clinical work and became a schoolteacher, teaching children alphabets and numbers—finding healing in simplicity. As her strength returned, so did her calling. She resumed medicine, followed strict check-ups, and inspired oncologists themselves with her recovery.
But cancer returned—again and again.
An intestinal obstruction led to emergency surgery and another round of chemotherapy. Years of aggressive treatment caused complications: cataracts, retinal detachment, nerve damage, fractures, and loss of sensation. She fell, broke her femur, underwent major orthopedic surgery—and walked again.
Then came 2023.
A routine CT scan, done after rib fractures from a minor fall, revealed a *fourth cancer—this time transformed into a **neuroendocrine tumor*. No symptoms. No warning. Just silent recurrence.
Her response?
She attended a medical conference, enjoyed Mumbai for three days, then calmly scheduled surgery.
Five days after a major abdominal operation—with *36 stitches*—Dr Khamesra returned to duty.
That is not bravery. That is belief.
### *“Cancer Is No Longer a Death Sentence”*
Having witnessed cancer care from 1994 to 2025, Dr Khamesra firmly believes medicine has evolved dramatically.
“Today, people live with two or even three cancers—and live well. Treatments are advanced. Outcomes are better. Fear is the biggest enemy.”
Her philosophy mirrors the World Cancer Day slogan she deeply believes in:
*“I Am. I Will.”*
If the will survives, life follows.
### *A Doctor Who Never Stops Teaching*
Even after retirement and repeated illness, Dr Khamesra continues to dream—for others. She is actively working to start a *DNB Neurology program* in Udaipur, determined that future doctors learn not just machines and scans, but clinical sense, history-taking, and compassion.
“Earlier, diagnoses were made by listening, observing, examining. That wisdom must not be lost,” she says.
### *A Message for Today’s Youth*
In a time of rising loneliness, pressure and suicides among young people, Dr Khamesra’s words carry deep weight.
“Life is not meant to be abandoned so easily. Even gods endured suffering—Ram, Krishna, Shiva. Life is a divine responsibility. Serve someone, help someone, feed someone who has never tasted what you enjoy. That gives life meaning.”
She believes parental example, values, patience and service are antidotes to despair.
### *More Than a Survivor*
Dr Renu Khamesra is not just a cancer survivor.
She is a *life winner*.
A healer who healed herself.
A teacher who never stopped learning.
A doctor who became hope itself.
This World Cancer Day, her story reminds us:
Cancer may return.
Pain may persist.
But courage—when rooted in purpose—can return stronger every time.
**Because as long as you say “I will,”
life says, “You are.”**
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