Farewell, my friend

It is with immense sadness that I learned of the passing of a classmate and good friend, Rajiv Agarwal - a victim of colon cancer. Rajiv is survived by his wife Radhika and two college-age daughters Devika and Sameera. Our prayers are with the extended family as they somehow need to find the strength to see themselves through these troubled times. Rajiv's health had been deteriorating steadily over the last month. So, in a sense, his passing means that he is probably in a better place. Yet, we were all hoping and praying for a miracle that he will be able to beat this deadly disease. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case. May your soul rest in peace my friend.

Rajiv was a swash-buckling, fun loving guy. He made friends easily with his open mindedness and disarming smile. He was always fun to be around. His spirit of joy will sorely be missed as our circle of friends regroup in the future. Friends and visitors would constantly be swarming at Rajiv's house. I would often wonder how he found the energy to socialize as much as he did.

It is ironic that just yesterday there was an Op-ed in NYT by actress Angelina Jolie about the preventive measures that she took to fight breast cancer. Modern medicine certainly provides alternatives for each of us to evaluate and consider.

I would certainly like to see the day when the discussions on cancer revolve around combating it and defeating it - not just preventing it. While it will not bring Rajiv back, it will certainly stop this senseless, "why-me" disease from taking away lives of wonderful people like Rajiv.