Gujarat: Low on immunity, but she is high on service spirit

RAJKOT: This radiologist at Jamnagar’s state-run GG Hospital fought back the trauma of cancer when she was diagnosed in 2017. As her immunity is still compromised due to oral chemotherapy medication, she was deliberately kept away from Covid-19 duty.
But 47-year-old Dr Shilpa Chudasama doesn’t want to shy away from working the Covid-19 ward. Dr Chudasama, a mother of two, is finally doing what she was yearning for - help the patients fighting the Covid battle and infuse fighting spirit in them.
Dr Chudasama has been working in the ward for the last 10 days now.
“My husband Dr Deepak Parmar is a senior orthopaedic surgeon serving at the GG hospital with me. Because of my medical condition, he offered to put in extra hours so that I can be spared from Covid-19 duty. But I did not accept it. Being a doctor, I can’t shy away during the biggest health crisis of humankind,” she told TOI.
Around 2,000 Covid-19 patients are being treated at the GG Hospital, which is Saurashtra’s biggest medical facility. Doctors from all the departments are assigned Covid duties here.
Before joining the Covid battle, she was busy in her crusade against cancer. She has been working aggressively to spread awareness about the early diagnosis of breast cancer among women.
According to doctors, Dr Chudasama’s tumour was very aggressive and had it not been diagnosed on time it could have proved dangerous. She completed the chemotherapy cycle in 2018 and since then she has been put on oral chemotherapy. The oral chemotherapy medicine also causes artificial menopause.
“It gets very difficult. In natural menopause also women pass through difficult phases of suffering from depression and anxiety. I had an aim to spread awareness among other women,” Dr Chudasama said.
She conducts seminars among women groups in Jamnagar and other parts of Saurashtra. She has also published two books in Gujarati, which are distributed for free. One book has a profile of ten working women diagnosed with breast cancer who shares their experiences while the other book has 100 FAQs (Frequently asked questions) about breast cancer and its treatment.
Dr Chudasama’s 21-year-old daughter Dhwani is pursuing MBA in Pune while her 17-year-old-son Kush is a Class XII student. Needless to say, the two support their mother’s brave decision to serve the Covid patients.