Battling Cancer: A Story of Hope

Vishü Rita Krocha
Dimapur | May 6  

On May 12, 2014 at just 35 years old, Cheryl Kire Achumi’s life took a different turn when she underwent lumpectomy, a minor operation to remove a lump on her breast. Her biopsy report that came a few days later revealed that it was ‘carcinoma breast’ and her mind went blank as she recalled. It was cancer. 

But her faith in God and her fierce determination to live saw her through the most painful ordeal of her treatment, which she began at Tata Medical Center Kolkata. During her 8-month treatment, she underwent 2 operations, 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 15 sessions of radiotherapy and endless tests.  

When she completed her treatment on December 24, 2014, Cheryl Kire Achumi emerged victorious in her battle against cancer. “Nowadays, I still have to go for checkups and perform tests every 6 months. Blood test, mammography, ultrasound, MRI have become a part of my life and yet, every time the results are the same: No sign of cancer in my body. I am now cancer free”, she conveyed.  

Even during the initial period of her treatment, she recalled with gratitude that God had already healed and blessed her with two sons after being childless for 6 years of her marriage. “I did not panic, I did not feel fear. The first thing I did was I did not receive the cancer. You see, it was not mine, it did not belong to me,” she enunciated as she strongly felt that death and life are in the power of the tongue.  

When she and her husband informed their family about the report, they also made it clear that they would not listen to any negative words, no crying and certainly no piteous looks.  

She revealed that her period of treatment was filled with agony. “My body hurt everywhere; there was not one spot on my body that didn’t ache. Chemotherapy side effects were horrible! Due to weakness and low immunity, all types of sickness and infections started attacking my body. Many days I cried, some days I could laugh. Sometimes I could eat properly, other times even swallowing water was agony. I couldn’t hold my children, I couldn’t love my husband, I couldn’t read my Bible. Some days I didn’t even want to pray,” she recalled.  

In the midst of all this, she remembered how much it hurt to stay away from her young sons, who were still babies while she was undergoing treatment. But on days when the chemo side effects would cease, she said, she did her best to continue doing as much as she could physically - cooking, cleaning and caring for the boys.  

The greatest challenge for her was however staying positive and cheerful in front of her family, and not letting them see her in pain. “I refused to lie down and stare at the fan. I was healed and decided to act it. So I kept myself busy with the house, gardening, knitting, and even read”, she firmly stated.  

Through it all, Cheryl said, God gave her strength and surrounded her with a great support group while also adding, “My husband and family showered unconditional love, my friends and church stood by me with soft encouragement and strong prayer.”  

Although there was no cancer hospital in Nagaland when she started her treatment, she is happy that Nagaland now has the Eden Medical Centre, a dedicated cancer research hospital with top class equipments and facilities and also CIHSR where she was administered for most of her chemo cycles.  

And to those who are going through the same situation, she says: “I feel it all begins and ends in your mind. What you give power to has power over you if you allow it.” As for her, she chose life. “God did not bless me with a loving husband and 2 miracle sons just to let me die. No! I believe He has plans for me. I thank God for His grace that covers me during this amazing journey called life. I want to encourage you to never ever give up hope. If God could do it for me, He will certainly do it for you”, she emphasized.  

Cheryl Kire Achumi, who pursued Hospitality Management, previously worked in hotels, telecommunication providers, management institutes, educational institutes and operated a service apartment. Cancer, she said was a big wake up call for her to change her lifestyle habits. To this, she added, “Now I eat healthier, exercise often, don’t harbor grudges and most importantly, enjoy every moment of every single day with my family.”