Cricket legend Clive Rice is living proof that you shouldn’t take no for an answer when it comes to your health.
Rice’s life was turned upside down on the 21st of February 2015, when the former Proteas all-rounder collapsed at his home as a result of a brain tumor. According to Sportrack.com, Rice, 65, underwent successive scans, and it was found that the tumor was too deep down in his brain for removal in South Africa.
Many would have taken the news as is and accepted the brain tumor as fate.
But, this did not discourage the retired cricket player, who turned to science and research for the answers, a search that resulted in a trip to India to get the tumor removed from one of the top prestigious hospitals in India, Bangalore’s Health Care Global Hospital.
Rice was examined by Dr PS Sridhar, the renowned neurosurgeon, who then suggested further course of treatment.
Following his successful CyberKnife radio surgery Clive is back home, healthy as ever.
He reportedly told the Daily News: “The CyberKnife robotic radio surgery – a non-invasive laser alternative to conventional surgery went better than I had expected.”
He explains that he went treatment and tests and then returned to the hotel to rest.
“There were three one-hour CyberKnife robotic radio surgery procedure sessions over three days. You then had to wait for test results,” Rice said.
“The cancer in my lung tested not active. The one in my leg came back negative. The surgery on my brain was completed,” he reported
Clive Rice advises that one should always look into the option of opting for treatment in other countries whenever it is ‘declared’ an untreatable condition in South Africa.
His recovery:
Rice is currently recovering from jet lag and tiredness. “With radiation attacking the cells, you have to get over the tiredness. I also picked up a stomach bug. It delayed me from coming back home for two days,” he said.
Brain tumors:
A brain tumor or intracranial neoplasm occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant or cancerous tutors and benign tumors. Cancerous tumors can be divided into primary tumors that started within the brain and those that spread from somewhere else known as brain metastasis tumors.
Symptoms of brain tumor include:
The most common symptoms of brain tumors that people first go to the doctor with are headaches and fits (seizures). But do remember that brain tumors are rare and there are much more common reasons for both these symptoms. So if you have either of these, do go to the doctor as soon as possible. But remember that there is most likely another cause of the symptoms.
Other common symptoms include:
*feeling nauseous
*Drowsiness
*Eye problems
What is CyberKnife Robotic Surgery?
The CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System is a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney. The treatment – which delivers beams of high dose radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy – offers new hope to patients worldwide.
What is the treatment process?
CyberKnife treatments involve a team approach in which several specialists participate.
Prior to the procedure, the patient is imaged using a high-resolution CT scan, to determine the size, shape and location of the tumor.
Following scanning, the image data is digitally transferred to the CyberKnife System’s workstation, where the treatment planning begins.
A qualified clinician then uses the CyberKnife software to generate a treatment plan. The plan is used to match the desired radiation dose to the identified tumor location while limiting radiation exposure to the surrounding healthy tissue.
Once the treatment plan has been developed, the patient is ready to undergo the CyberKnife procedure. After arriving at the CyberKnife Centre, patients are comfortably positioned on the treatment table. Then the CyberKnife System’s computer-controlled robot will slowly move around the patient to the various locations from which it will deliver radiation to the tumor.
Each treatment session will last between 30 and 90 minutes, depending on the type of tumor being treated. If treatment is being delivered in stages, patients will need to return for additional treatments over several days (typically no more than five), as determined by the patients doctor. Patients may experience some minimal side effects, but those often go away within the first week or two after treatment.
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Is CyberKnife right for you? Talk with a CyberKnife expert.
At the CyberKnife Center of Miami our experienced physicians and nurses can offer you the best advice on treatment options.
For more information, please contact us at: 800-204-0455
“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”
~ Dalai Lama