AIIMS Nurse died after delaying treatment for cancer: Shocking Reason Behind Death Revealed

Citing her Catholic pro-life beliefs, a Kerala woman, who worked as a senior nursing officer at the AIIMS in New Delhi, ignored medical advice to terminate her pregnancy and undergo immediate surgery for breast cancer.

Sapna Tracy (43), who delivered her eighth child in December 2015, died Monday in Thrissur after delaying cancer treatment. All her children are below age 15.

In their youth, Tracy and her husband Chittilappally Joju (50), from Chittatukara village in Thrissur, were active members of Jesus Youth and Catholic Charismatic Renewal movements. While Tracy worked at AIIMS, Joju served as a social worker under the Church in the national Capital.

In recent years, both were actively involved in the pro-life movement of the Church, promoting large families and working against abortion. The Kerala Catholic Church diocese in Faridabad even honored the couple for having a large family.

Mastectomy was performed in the sixth month of pregnancy. Doctors wanted to start radiation therapy and chemotherapy but Tracy said she would agree to that only after giving birth. “A few months after the delivery, she went for radiation and chemotherapy. She had a strong conviction that we should not end a life even if it endangers her own life. Giving birth to eight children and rearing everyone with her own salary, Tracy was a wonder in our Delhi neighborhood,’’ Joju said.

About a year ago, Tracy was told that cancer had spread to the lungs. Joju took the entire family — five boys and three girls — to Kerala earlier this year. Joju said he always supported the stand his wife took. “We consider life very precious. We have no right to terminate it. I had no qualms about backing her decision not to abort and start cancer treatment. We could not have saved two lives. I believe population will drive development. Had Tracy been healthy, we would have gone for the ninth child,’’ he said.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Catholic Church took the lead in family planning in Kerala — the Catholics, who are considered economically better placed, educated and politically powerful, constitute a sizeable chunk of the state’s 19 percent Christian population.