By IANS,
Pune : Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is among the few politicians who have fought cancer and recovered and he says it is important to remain mentally strong to fight the deadly disease.
Recounting the horrors of mouth cancer he suffered a decade ago, Pawar, 71, said his “steely resolve” and “strong willpower” helped him emerge triumphant.
But it was a painful fight, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief told reporters at a party convention here Saturday.
“Investigations started when a doctor friend noticed a swelling on my cheek and suggested biopsy. The treatment started. It was painful as the skin inside my mouth was burnt, making it difficult to consume food,” said Pawar.
One of the causes of the cancer was his addiction to ‘paan masala’ (chewing tobacco).
Pawar said he became worried about his career and “emotional vulnerability of party workers” and added that he would not have made it without the support by his wife and daughter.
Pawar said he drew his mental power from his mother, whom he described as a “very strong woman, who fought against all odds”.
However, Pawar is not the only Maharashtra politician to have successfully fought cancer.
Former Maharashtra minister Shrikant Jichkar suffered from cancer of the adrenal glands and was in terminal stage in 2000. But he recovered within six months after treatments in New York.
However, Jichkar died in a car accident in 2004. He was 49.
Another politician is 78-year-old Ram Naik, who also defeated cancer in 1993.