Navi Mumbai cancer survivor Laxmi Nair completes Berlin Marathon, heads to meet bone marrow donor

As Navi Mumbai runner Laxmi Nair crossed the finish line at the Berlin Marathon on Sunday in a time of 411 4 hrs 11 minutes she achieved one part of her mission in Germany This marathoner who is a cancer survivor is off to meet her bone marrow donor a German woman whose donation was a match and was used for a bone marrow transplant Nair underwent in July 2024popcorn numberOct 2 descDay Laxmi Nair is scheduled to meet her bone marrow donor in Munich classDefaultLife and running intertwine for Laxmi NairPace offNair said ldquoI live in Vashi and have been running long distance for years now In 2024 I thought something was not quite right with my body My pace on my training runs was too slow my heart rate was off I underwent tests and I was diagnosed with aggressive leukaemia blood cancerrdquo It was a shock for Nair 37 who had been training all along and was looking at running the Comrades Ultramarathon in South Africa a searing 90km distanceTaking life and strife in her strideTreatment beginsTreatment at the Hinduja Hospital in Mahim started immediately and from then on medicals and treatments replaced marathons and tracking timings Nair attributed much of the courage during her battle to the intense discipline and reserves which she had built up because of running ldquoAs a runner too I think I have been used to a lot of physical discomfort I have spent over 180 days over the past two years in hospitals I have spent 90 days in quarantined hospital rooms I have received chemotherapy strong enough to obliterate my blood system to make way for the new stem cellsrdquoLaxmi shows medal and mettle PicsBy Special ArrangementA rollercoasterWhen she crossed that finish line in Berlin incidentally Berlin is one of the World Marathon Majors Nair felt so many emotions surge over her like a tsunami ldquoIt was relief gratitude tenacity joy all rolled into one I am still not off the emotional roller coaster as my allimportant meeting is coming uprdquo she said Yet like the runner she is she still has the race on her mind ldquoI know I am back to running but I was still six seconds off my personal bestrdquo she laughed ldquonot bad though for my first marathon overseas I am running the Tata Mumbai Marathon TMM in January 2027rdquoThe pragmatistWhen talking about expressing gratitude towards her donor this runner also remembered other pillars that kept her going ldquoI am lucky to have a strong support system in my family and friends and I think a lot of what Irsquove been able to do is thanks to that support I cannot stress the importance of health enough and keeping it through strength training keeping oneself moving eating enough protein and prioritising sleep If you are unwell donrsquot be afraid to ask for help and do what makes you happy Creating an environment that enables you to do this goes a long wayrdquo As for negotiating the medical maze Nair added ldquoDo your own research and ask your doctor all the questions you need to till you are satisfied And yes since we live in the real world I would advise you to get good medical insurancerdquo she signed off as she readied for meeting a woman in Germany one that gives life to inspirational quotations like lsquothe measure of life is not its duration but its donationrsquoMarrow donorIn July 2024 Nair went in for a bone marrow transplant with a match found in Germany ldquoI unfortunately did not find a match in my immediate circle of family and friends but had registered to find a donor This match was by a German donor I underwent the transplant procedure in a Singapore hospital Then it was one year and three months 1 yr 3 mths of seeing that my body accepts the transplantrdquo said Nair who works for a nonprofit in IndiaNair is still in Germany with her husband Akshay Purohit Both of them are all set to meet Nairrsquos bone marrow donor who lives quite close to Munich on October 2 ldquoI am getting goosebumps even as I am talking to you about that upcoming meetingrdquo said Nair ldquoUsually donors are kept anonymous but there is a time cap on that anonymity and once that anonymity time frame was removed I learnt of my donorrsquos identity we corresponded and I decided to meet her on this trip postrace How do I say thanks to someone like that Well I just do not knowrdquo she exclaimedJulyMonth in the year 2024 that Laxmi Nair underwent the bone marrow transplant