Living with cancer can be overwhelming, to say the least. People with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) have to take daily medication, travel to clinics, and carefully monitor their symptoms, on top of working and caring for their families.
This has been Kiran’s reality for around 15 years – he was diagnosed with CML when he was only 20 years old. But he never lost hope. Not only did he continue to pursue his education and career, now he’s also helping other patients in need.
Kiran lives in Hunsur, India with his wife, Hema, and their 5-year-old daughter. He first started experiencing symptoms when he was working as a carpenter. That included weakness, fever, and a loss of appetite. He was shocked to learn he had CML and worried about being able to afford treatment.
“I was unable to work as a carpenter and earn a little for my medication, as the doctor advised me to avoid dust,” he said. “These unexpected expenses became a burden all the more to my parents, which bothered me day and night.”
The hospital recommended The Max Foundation. Together with our partners, we provide Kiran access to medication at no cost. Today, he is doing well and works as an attender at a private school in Hunsur. They encouraged him to take his pre-university exams.
Through it all, Kiran had plenty of support from loved ones – his parents, especially his mother, stood by through all his pain and struggles, his sister and brother-in-law offered financial and moral support, and his wife and her family gave him a new life.
Because of his, Kiran wants to pay it forward. He is active in patient support groups, sharing his experience and offering encouragement to others with CML. One day, he would like to form a group to help people in need, regardless of the cost.
“A big thanks to The Max Foundation,” Kiran said. “They brightened my life, put a ray of hope, and encouraged me to be the same ray of hope to others in similar situation.”
The Max Foundation is a leading global health nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating health equity. For 28 years, Max has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. Max believes in a world where all people can access high-impact medicines, where geography is not destiny, and where everyone can strive for health with dignity and with hope.
March 9th is a day of mourning and grief for The Max Foundation and for anyone who knows our story and loves the Organization. On March 9th 1991, 30 years ago, cancer took Max from us at MD Anderson Cancer Center at 11:10 am. For those lucky to have known him, Max will forever be….
In all these years, through all of the struggle and emotional upheaval of her diagnosis, Hira remained her active and busy self. She never missed her daily routine of the wharf and the bazaar, nor did she let her work and routine come in the way of her managing her CML.
Thousands of patients are diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) annually around the world. CML, like any other cancer, does not discriminate. It affects people from all regions and walks of life. However, unlike many other cancers, CML has an amazing story due to advancements made in its treatment in the last decade. It was only 15 years ago that a patient newly diagnosed with CML would have a prognosis of survival of less than 5 years with the treatments available at the time.
