When you meet 45-year-old Batti Devi, her calm demeanour and quiet confidence don’t immediately reveal the storm she has weathered. But behind her gentle smile lies a powerful story of courage, loss, love—and survival. Not once, but twice, she faced cervical cancer. And both times, she emerged victorious.
Hailing from a small village near Khunti, Ranchi, in 2009, Batti Devi first noticed something was wrong when she began experiencing unbearable pain and abnormal bleeding.
“Pet aur kamar mein bahut dard hota tha,” she recalls.
“Kapdon mein khoon aajata tha… pehle socha, thoda kaam zyada kar liya hoga. Par khoon behna band hi nahi ho raha tha.”
Like many others, she and her husband, Roopchand Mahato, who is a farmer, initially relied on home remedies. “Humne socha pehle gharelu nuskhe karke dekh lete hai, shayad theek ho jaye, lekin pareshani aur bhi bad gayi,” he shares.
Their local doctor couldn’t help. Instead, he gave them devastating news—she likely had cancer and needed urgent care.
“Doctor ne kaha cancer hai, TMH le jao, yehan iska ilaaj nahi ho payega,” Roopchand remembers, his voice still heavy with emotion.
The diagnosis shattered their world. They had little awareness, no money, and three young children at home. They sold their land, their jewellery, left their kids behind, and went to Jamshedpur’s Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) with hope and fear in equal measure.
“Bahut dar lagta tha. Socha, ab sab khatam ho gaya”, she says softly.
But they found support—and faith.
“Wahan doctor mile, unhone bola, ilaaj hoga. Aur humne vishwas kiya,” says Roopchand.
Batti Devi went through 20 sessions of external radiation and 3 cycles of brachytherapy until 2014. She spent months battling pain and weakness, but her resolve didn’t waver. She fought for her children. And she survived.
“Humne sab kuch chhoda, sirf unka saath diya. Jo bhi karna pada, kiya,” Roopchand says.
Years passed. Life returned to normal. Her daughters got married, and she hoped her battles were behind her.
But in 2022, familiar symptoms returned—lower abdominal pain and foul-smelling discharge. In dilemma, she endured it for 6 months.
“Ek baar toh lad liye the,” she says.
“Par doosri baar laga, ab nahi hoga. Humare paas ab kuch bhi nahi bacha tha.”
Still, she chose to fight again. With courage in her heart and little else, they returned to TMH. But this time, something was different—they were directed to a new, state-of-the-art cancer care centre in Ranchi itself: Ranchi Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (RCHRC).
She came to RCHRC in 2023 and met Dr. Deepak Kumar, a Radiation Oncologist. From the very first consultation, the family felt seen, supported, and safe.
Under Dr. Deepak's care and with the support of the compassionate RCHRC team, Batti Devi braved her second round of treatment—and survived again. This time, the battle was easier, with a world-class cancer treatment closer to her home, she could be with her family and her husband could continue farming without any hindrance in her treatment.
“Aspatal ke sabhi log bohut hi acche se mera dhyan rakhte the,” she says, her eyes lighting up.
“Bohut pyar aur samman se baat karte hai abhi bhi. Doctor saab bhi mera bohut acche se ilaaj kiye.”
Today, for the past one year, she is cancer-free and never misses even a single follow-up—and she has turned her personal battle into a mission. She creates awareness in her village, urging women not to delay or stay silent.
“Sharm mat karo. Jaach karao,” she says firmly. “Main do baar jeeti hoon,” Batti Devi says with pride. “Aap ek baar mein jeet jaogi—agar waqt par check karaogi.”
She recently brought another woman with similar symptoms to RCHRC, who is now also on the road to recovery.
Her journey is more than just survival—it's a reminder of the power of awareness, timely care, and inner strength. Batti Devi’s voice, once trembling with fear, now echoes with purpose—and hope.
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