Ananth Kumar ignored symptoms, says friend and doctor

Union Minister Ananth Kumar (59) passed away within six months after being diagnosed for Adenocarcinoma, a type of cancer that affects the lungs.

His close friend and family doctor, Dr B S Srinath, says that Ananth Kumar ignored symptoms of cancer and thought he was coughing due to his hectic schedule during the Assembly elections early this year.

“Ananth Kumar must have developed cancer sometime in the month of January or February this year. Besides diabetes, he maintained a healthy lifestyle with no bad habits like smoking. Cancer developed a stray mutation very early giving him very less time for treatment or for recovery. When he was diagnosed in June, Adenocarcinoma was already in an advanced stage,” added Dr Srinath, surgical oncologist and head of Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation.

Clarifying on the speculation about his illness, Dr Srinath said that Ananth Kumar was deeply shocked after diagnosis and wanted to keep his disease very private. He and his family did not want to divulge any details about his illness and the treatment. He did visit the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, but the treatment backfired. So, Ananth Kumar and his family decided to return to Bengaluru.

A close friend of Ananth Kumar’s family, Dr Srinath said that during the last few months, when he was admitted at Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation, the minister had spoken to him about progressive plans that he had for Bengaluru and India. Dr Srinath said that it was a huge loss not just for him and his family but for the entire nation.

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