Palliative Radiation Treatment in India

Ayaan Miller, a 78-year-old retired carpenter,...

Ayaan Miller, a 78-year-old retired carpenter, had been living with metastatic prostate cancer for three years. A devoted grandfather, his greatest joy was playing with his grandkids, but severe pain in his lower spine and hip had recently confined him to a recliner. The pain was constant, a deep ache that made sleep impossible and even shifting positions excruciating. His oncologist explained that the cancer had spread to his bones. The radiation oncologist, Dr. Evans, recommended a short course of palliative radiation to the most painful spinal lesion. "The goal isn't to cure the cancer," she explained gently, "but to shrink it just enough to give you back some comfort and mobility." Ayaan underwent five quick, painless treatments over a week. The fatigue was significant, but within two weeks, the relentless bone pain had diminished from an 8/10 to a manageable 2/10. He was able to sleep through the night and, most importantly, get down on the floor to play with his toy trucks again. Emotionally, he had felt like a burden, watching life from the sidelines. The treatment gave him a profound sense of reclaiming a piece of himself, not as a patient, but as a grandfather, bringing relief and precious moments of normalcy.