“The worst has been confirmed†said mom, as she came in holding my grandmother’s biopsy report. Her eyes were dark pools of sorrow as she narrated what the doctor had pronounced, “Colon cancer……..gone beyond the primary stage……..the usual procedures can be doneâ€. I was already in my third year of medical school and I vociferously seconded the doctor’s opinion regarding radiation and chemotherapy. But mom said that grandma’s opinion mattered too. As expected, the old lady turned down the doctor’s suggestion, stoically stating that she would prefer to go through her ‘Karma’ than subject herself to torturous treatments that can hardly ensure longevity. “Anywayâ€, she said “I’m already past seventy, have seen enough of life, what more can one ask for, except a peaceful endâ€. Mom was not one to let go so easily. She said that there has to be some way out. She took time off, from her teaching job, spent the next few days pouring into books and going through websites searching for information about cancers and their treatment. She even read Randy Pausch’s ‘The Last Lecture’, Lance Armstrong’s ‘It’s not about the Bike: My journey back to life’ and some medical journals in my collection. She told grandma inspiring stories of cancer survivors, insisting that grandma should get prepared to take cudgels against the ‘Big C’. But when she went to the extent of getting in touch with the local practitioners of Ayurveda, I thought I should stop her. I argued, “Mom, you never know with these alternative medicines, nothing like the conventional stuffâ€. By ‘conventional stuff’, I meant Western medicine. I had my own misgivings about the herbal concoctions, the ‘Bhasmas’ and the ‘Churnas’ (medicinal powders) doled out by the Ayurvedic doctors. There was always a kind of mystery wrapped up in them. The patients would not have any inkling about the contents or the combinations of the medicines prescribed. Then there was the question of efficacy. How could such treatment work against cancer of all diseases? But mom never gave in to my arguments. She said with some feeling in her voice, “If alternative therapies can work for Rhio, it can work for my mother tooâ€. I gasped with disbelief. How did she know about James Rhio O’ Connor, the man who had defied Mesothelioma! Obviously she had done her homework. I remembered reading about how Rhio had waged a battle against Mesothelioma, a rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. He had chosen to look beyond chemotherapy and radiation towards alternative modes of coping with the disease. Given barely a year to live, he designed his own treatment that included diet regulation and a healthy control of mind and body. When Ernest Hemingway said-“A man can be bent but not brokenâ€, he probably had someone like Rhio in his mind. Mesothelioma devoured the outer lining of his inner organs but could never break his indomitable spirit. Adding years to his life and life to his years; beating the prognosis and baffling the doctors; Rhio lived for more than seven and a half years after the diagnosis. He had chosen to traverse the path not taken by many, in quest of wellness. My mind came back from thoughts of Rhio to what my mom was saying. She was trying to convince me that in India we have a tradition of falling back upon indigenous sources of medication. She gave innumerable examples drawn from the hoary past, emphasizing how the Sages and Rishis had kept illnesses at bay by practicing Ayurveda and Yoga. The renowned physicians of yore like Charaka and Shushrutha had discovered medicinal plants and herbs that could cure various diseases including “Arbudha (Malignant tumors)â€. Mom stressed, “Remember, Ayurveda means the knowledge of life, and to learn the art of living you have to go back to nature. Even experts in Western medicine admit that the physician only treats but it is nature that heals.†I couldn’t cross swords with her on that issue. Hadn’t Thoreau who wrote ‘The Walden Pond’ said something similar? Mom went on, “Ayurveda or any alternative therapy has always maintained that any illness is caused by an imbalance between the Mind and the Spirit; between the Body and the Soul; between the Individual and the Nature around. They all advocate a daily routine of rising early, exercises, bathing, regulated sleep and a wholesome intake of food in keeping with the changing seasonsâ€. Mom not only changed my perception to some extent but also persuaded grandma to try the road not often taken. Both of them went to Kotakkal in Kerala, home to experts in Ayurveda and stayed there for over a month. I would have accompanied them to satisfy my curiosity but for my studies. When they returned, grandma looked as benign as ever, while mom waxed eloquent on the remarkable effect of the treatment. She unpacked a whole array of medicines including precious oils that were given by the Ayurvedic practitioner. My grandma took her medicines, did a few simple Yogasanas and Pranayama (breathing exercises) on my mom’s persistence. She lived a little longer than what was foretold and never complained of pain or fatigue. I was not sure whether it was due to the alternative therapy or her own stoicism. Ultimately her wish was fulfilled. She passed away peacefully in her sleep. Much water has flown under the bridge since grandma passed away. Now, I am certain about one thing-alternative therapies can be and have been integrated with more popular treatment procedures to alleviate the trauma experienced by cancer patients. Be it Yoga, Tai Chi, Reiki, Diet or other Holistic therapies, they have played a supporting role in reducing stress and inducing certain positivity in the patients’ outlook. Along with adjunctive therapies, someone like my mom who can stand by the family in crisis would be an additional blessing. I realize that in today’s scenario, when cancer is taking a huge toll on the world population, like an epidemic (with an astronomical 18000 fatalities in the United States from Mesothelioma alone!), we surely need all possible therapies that can complement the main line of treatment. But more than that, we need beacons of light like Rhio who can-with their undaunting courage, unwavering faith and steely determination-do things differently showing the world that there is hope yet. As I keep thinking about Rhio, Pausch’s words ring in my ears-“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the handâ€.