Page 88 - ACCF - Stories of Resilience

Lakhimpur District
THE SILENT BATTLE:

BHUBAN BARUAH’S STORY OF

HOPE AND RESILIENCE

As a dental surgeon working with the Community Outreach Program (COP) of the Lakhimpur Cancer
Centre, I have witnessed many lives changed by early cancer detection. Yet, no case has moved me
as profoundly as that of Mr. Bhuban Baruah, an 86-year-old man from the tranquil village of No. 1
Bahupathar in Assam. His journey is a testament to the importance of awareness, timely intervention,
and community support in the fight against cancer.
A FATEFUL ENCOUNTER

It all began on December 3, 2024, at a routine health screening camp in his village. Mr. Baruah arrived
quietly, accompanied by his eldest son. A simple man, his weathered face reflected a life of hard work
and resilience. He had come for a check-up, prompted by his family, for a persistent sore in his mouth
that had refused to heal for six months.

The sore, a hardened ulcer on the inside of his cheek, had started as a minor irritation. Initially, he
and his wife relied on home remedies—turmeric, saltwater rinses, and chewing guava leaves—but nothing worked. Eating had
become painful, yet Mr. Baruah endured it silently, believing the discomfort was just a part of aging.

When I examined him, my initial observations raised alarms. The lesion was irregular, hardened, and unresponsive to
conventional remedies—a hallmark of oral leukoplakia, a pre-cancerous condition often linked to tobacco use or chronic
irritation.

88 DON’T PASS UP THE CHERRY PIE