support Anuradha's mother through Stage 4 cancer

Our dear colleague Anuradha Reddy's mother, Shubha Reddy, was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. She lives in rural India, where there is no system of health insurance, so her treatment is out of pocket. Anu needs to travel to India regularly to support her mom and her family as they navigate her treatment. We are asking friends and colleagues to help support them through this challenging time.

Anu shared the following beautiful reflections about this incredible woman:

Before her marriage, she was the state Netball champion (a version of basketball played in India). She had always wanted to be a physician, but she got married at a very early age due to life circumstances. In addition, she is a homemaker, award-winning gardener, and an exceptional cook, not to mention a fantastic hostess.

She is the main reason I became a physician, specifically a family physician. She is my biggest advocate and wanted me to have all the privileges she was denied. Growing up in a country that married off their daughters at 18, my mother went to bat for me, battling against all my relatives who wanted me married off and ensuring I could attend med school. She is a force to be reckoned with, forthright, competent, and generally a take-charge person. Unfortunately, she sacrificed attending my wedding and graduation from residency due to financial hardships; she had to rely on my verbal descriptions of those two events.

Having lived in a city all her life, she moved to our ancestral home in a remote part of South India when my father retired; this was a massive change for her, but being the person she is, she took it in her stride. I believe this was when she came into her own as a person; up till this moment, her whole life revolved around her children, spouse, dogs and the upbringing of a hand full of nephews in addition to her own children. Seeing a great need in her community, she single-handedly started a dairy co-op for the women in the village as a source of income and means for them to support their families. She is still the president of this association though she plans to step down shortly. The local county dairy association has recognized the Co-Op and she was even invited to be a guest speaker at the local Veterinary school and other forums on how to start grass root co-ops. The co-op is now a substantial revenue source to at least 50 families.

When I received the congressional award for community service many years ago, I remember my mother’s words, “make the place you live in a little better than when you arrived,” which still resonates in me. To see this vibrant woman, who left everyone who crossed her path with a sense of well-being and positivity, now extremely debilitated with stage four breast cancer, breaks my heart and brings me to tears. I just hope I can be worthy of her aspirations.

Anu