The Department of Clinical Hematology and Medical Oncology at PGI manages over 500 patients of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) every month, with a total cohort of nearly 5,000 patients under regular follow-up. CML, once considered a fatal disease with an average survival of only two–three years, witnessed a historic breakthrough in 2001 with the introduction of Imatinib, popularly known as the ‘magic bullet.’“With regular treatment and follow-up, most patients today are leading normal, productive lives, much like individuals with diabetes or hypertension,” says Prof Pankaj Malhotra, head, Department of Clinical Hematology and Medical Oncology, PGI.To celebrate this remarkable journey of hope and resilience, the department, in collaboration with the Department of Hematology, The Max Foundation, Friends of Max, Sahayta, and Sanjeevani, organised the CML Survivor Day at Zakir Hall on Sunday. The event saw enthusiastic participation from over 600 patients and caregivers. Here, some shared their journey of will, hope, living with CML and how they emerged stronger, against all odds, with the support of the doctors here, and their families. One such braveheart who took centre stage Sunday was Kashma Sharma, who, with her zest for life, poetry and smile, won many hearts at the CML survivor day. Standing close to her was her husband, a pillar of strength who has never left her side at home or the hospital.“For us PGI is a temple, and I have no words to express my appreciation for the doctors here, who light up our lives, with their faith, dedication and expertise giving us a new lease of life,” smiles Kashma, a teacher of Social Studies at a government school in Nangal, who has won a state award for education in 2014, and also writes poetry in Punjabi. A mother of two, Kashma says it was in 2012 that she first discovered some spots on her wrist and other parts of the body that were painful, and she began losing weight, with a routine test showing low platelets, haemoglobin, and total leukocyte count (white blood cells).“I was referred to PGI by the local doctors, who suspected it was CML, and when I came here to Dr Pankaj Malhotra, my treating doctor, I was 23 kg, and I told him how my children were very young, with my daughter in Class VI and my son in Class III. He listened patiently, understood our fears, and gave us full support, both emotionally and psychologically, and I felt at ease immediately,” recalls Kashma, who was 40 when she was diagnosed with CML. The journey has been long, at times full of apprehension, sometimes pain, but never without strength. Kashma says she still gets goosebumps when she remembers the painful bone marrow test, after which she could not sleep, just sitting for more than 20 days.“I didn’t tell anyone about her condition, not even the children, and would wake up at 3:30 am to make breakfast before our PGI visits, and one day my daughter remarked why are the paranthas so thick. She and her brother one day found the PGI file and read up on CML, and she came up to me and gave a big hug, saying dad, you have been doing this all alone. That’s the day I cried for the first time,” recalls Ravi, who left his job in the IT industry to take care of his wife. With regular medication, follow-ups with doctors, support of the family, Kashma was on the road to recovery, with poetry helping her express her feelings, emotions, and experiences.Encouraged by her husband, she has now published a book, ‘Yeh Teri Kripa’, with the poetry an expression for gratefulness. She continues her job as a teacher, writes, and helps other patients of CML by counselling them, sharing her own journey and leaves her number at various cancer survivor meets so she can give others like her support. “She is now healthy, has to have only one tablet a day, and it is her positive attitude, resilience, belief in the power of medicine and God, and her selfless and happy nature that has made her come this far,” smiles Ravi. Kashma is happy that her daughter has chosen this noble profession and is now a doctor working in Mohali, and she hopes to serve people once she retires.Story continues below this adAyushman Bharat has made free medicines accessible to most patients, along with the availability of cost-effective generic drugs equivalent in efficacy to branded medicines, and with regular checkups, tests, and medicines, this is a curable blood cancer, with hardly any side effects. Many facilities are provided by PGI to patients, with the Max Foundation, helping with the accommodation for patients who don’t have a place to stay, in House number 1521, Sector 11, Chandigarh, for four days, with free boarding and lodging provided, says Dr Malhotra. “CML Survivor Day stands as a testament to scientific progress, patient resilience, and collaborative care that has transformed CML from a once-fatal illness into a chronic, manageable condition,” smiles Dr Malhotra.