Arora’s Cancer Success Story, Made with Houston Connections

Manish Arora with his family in front of their home.

By Jawahar Malhotra

KARNAL, Haryana Pradesh, India: When Manish Arora arrived in the Bayou City in December 2021 for a cancer treatment only available at the famed M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital at the Texas Medical Center, he was rightly fearful of being in a strange city with only a couple of connections through his physician; the effects of the treatment, how long it would take and the formidable cost of $825,000.

On a recent trip to India, this reporter contacted Arora, now 44, to see how he was doing in his hometown of Karnal, midway between New Delhi and Chandigarh. Over a weekend spent in the area, with a visit to the ancient grounds of Kurukshetra where the Mahabharata war took place, Arora showed lots of vigor and zest for the future, making plans for continuing his career in digital marketing.

From left, Poonam Talwar, Jawahar Malhotra, Manisha Arora and his parents at his family home in Karnal.

His younger brother Vipul, who had accompanied him in Houston, has relocated to Bangalore for a job with an IT firm. He, wife Suchi and daughter Saibaa, live with his parents, who had also joined him briefly in Houston.

During the treatment, Vipul reached out to the South Asian community for support. Indo American News and Radio helped to spread his story and make connections with various groups to help him, including IACAN and the Foundation For Children Cancer, Research and Supporta Houston-based non-profit which held a magnificent on-line fundraiser on Sunday evening, February 27 that raised $20,000 (see https://www.indoamerican-news.com/fccrs-hosts-virtual-fundraiser-for-cancer-patient-manish-arora/).

Manish left to go back to India in March 2022 and has been cancer free ever since. Here is his brief story in his own words:

“I received my Car-T Cell therapy treatment for Diffused Large B-cell Lymphoma malignancy at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Houston on Jan 24, 2022 and have been in remission ever since. It has taken some time to recover and regain strength, there have been some niggles or infections at times, however this is a small price to pay for being cancer free.

I have started to voluntarily help out care givers and cancer fighters in India with some counselling, guidance and support in their cancer journey. The cause is big and even one life saved is so many lives impacted in a positive way.

I am also trying to resume my professional journey so that I can support my family, become financially independent again and take care of my kid and responsibilities but also do contribute financially to the above cause apart from volunteering for support.

I thank FCCRS board and its team, Keka Kar and her family, Parul Fernandes, Bobby Singh and all the amazing people who associated, prayed for me and offered financial support through the “Ummeed” concert. I can’t forget and will always remain indebted for life. I again thank Dr. Sanjay Bansal and his family for being a friend, guide and noble soul to hold my hand through this journey, Joel and Nozer for sticking it out with me and my family during our stay.

To Jawahar for being an amazing friend in Houston and even visiting us in Karnal after a year, I and my family are truly glad to have met him and brought back the good vibes.”