Kota: The will to live and a disciplined routine helped Veer Singh Yadav, 93, survive laryngeal cancer for more than six decades without taking any medicine.
“Organise a race for people of my age, I will be the first,” Singh said in his faint voice at a felicitation event organised for him on Sunday evening in Bundi, where he was also recognised by the India Book of Records as the longest survivor of laryngeal cancer. Local MLA Ashok Dogra, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) vice president Harimohan Sharma, Bundi SP Jai Yadav and several dignitaries were present.
Yadav, resident of Bundi city and native of Rewadi district in Haryana, was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at the age of 33 in 1963 when he underwent throat surgery at a cancer hospital in Mumbai. He lost his voice after the surgery and also the ability to smell. He was able to breathe only after a tracheotomy.
What he did not lose was the zest to live. Singh set up a dairy business to earn for his family, consisting of his wife and four children, and battled through life with a strict disciplined lifestyle. He still wakes up at 4am, takes a walk for 6-7 kilometres, followed by a simple but nutrient breakfast at 8am and then two chapatis each, mashed into a liquid, for lunch and dinner. He retires to bed at 10pm.
Yadav also succeeded in regaining a bit of his voice, which enabled him to communicate with his family members. An hour’s gossip with them at dinner time is still an essential part of his routine.
His son, Sanjay, said his father regularly visited the cancer hospital in Mumbai for about 20 years after the surgery, but when doctors examined him in June 2002, they were surprised that he had been surviving without medicines.
“Veer Singh Yadav is certainly an inspiration for cancer patients as he has lived for over 60 years after the surgery with his strong willpower and discipline, without any medicine,” said Dr L N Meena of Bundi district hospital, adding that lifestyle and willpower play a major role in curing disease.
“Organise a race for people of my age, I will be the first,” Singh said in his faint voice at a felicitation event organised for him on Sunday evening in Bundi, where he was also recognised by the India Book of Records as the longest survivor of laryngeal cancer. Local MLA Ashok Dogra, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) vice president Harimohan Sharma, Bundi SP Jai Yadav and several dignitaries were present.
Yadav, resident of Bundi city and native of Rewadi district in Haryana, was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer at the age of 33 in 1963 when he underwent throat surgery at a cancer hospital in Mumbai. He lost his voice after the surgery and also the ability to smell. He was able to breathe only after a tracheotomy.
What he did not lose was the zest to live. Singh set up a dairy business to earn for his family, consisting of his wife and four children, and battled through life with a strict disciplined lifestyle. He still wakes up at 4am, takes a walk for 6-7 kilometres, followed by a simple but nutrient breakfast at 8am and then two chapatis each, mashed into a liquid, for lunch and dinner. He retires to bed at 10pm.
Yadav also succeeded in regaining a bit of his voice, which enabled him to communicate with his family members. An hour’s gossip with them at dinner time is still an essential part of his routine.
His son, Sanjay, said his father regularly visited the cancer hospital in Mumbai for about 20 years after the surgery, but when doctors examined him in June 2002, they were surprised that he had been surviving without medicines.
“Veer Singh Yadav is certainly an inspiration for cancer patients as he has lived for over 60 years after the surgery with his strong willpower and discipline, without any medicine,” said Dr L N Meena of Bundi district hospital, adding that lifestyle and willpower play a major role in curing disease.
