Transforming a Mother’s Prognosis into a Universal Cancer Care Mission

“You have three months.”

I still remember those words with painful clarity.

I was standing outside the OPD of a leading cancer hospital in Mumbai, holding a folder filled with my mother’s medical reports. She had been diagnosed with Stage IV gallbladder carcinoma, one of the most aggressive forms of cancer. I had traveled from Delhi searching for answers, treatment options, and perhaps a reason to remain hopeful.

Instead, I was handed a timeline.

The consultation lasted less than two minutes. There was no comprehensive review of her case, no discussion of alternatives, and little room for questions. Just a recommendation to spend time with family and prepare for what was coming.

At 26, I wasn’t prepared to accept that a precious life could be reduced to a prognosis so quickly.

So, I kept searching.

The Fragmented Maze of Healthcare

Over the following weeks, I carried my mother’s records, scans, and pathology reports from one hospital to another, from one city to the next. Every consultation produced a different answer. One specialist told us surgery was impossible; another believed the risks were too high.

The diagnosis remained the same. The opinions did not.

What struck me most was not the complexity of cancer itself, but the complexity of navigating the healthcare system. Families were expected to make life-altering decisions while overwhelmed by uncertainty, fragmented information, and conflicting recommendations.

Then a doctor I knew through a college project introduced us to an oncologist who approached my mother’s case differently. He reviewed every pathology report, scan, and treatment record. Hours were spent understanding the complete picture. Questions were asked. Assumptions were challenged.

For the first time, it felt as though someone was seeing my mother, not just her diagnosis.

His conclusion changed everything: surgery could be attempted.

Remarkably, the operation was ultimately performed at the very same institution where it had previously been ruled out. The surgery was successful.

My mother lived for two more years.

Two more birthdays.

Two more Diwalis.

Two more years of memories that our family will cherish forever.

Transforming Pain into Purpose

What if I hadn’t known someone who could make that introduction? What if I had accepted the opinion of India’s leading cancer centre and stopped searching?

The more I reflected on my mother’s journey, the more I realized that healthcare’s greatest challenge is rarely a lack of medical expertise. We have exceptional doctors and institutions. The challenge is ensuring patients can access the right expertise at the right time.

I witnessed firsthand how fragmented healthcare information can be. Reports were scattered across WhatsApp chats, cloud storage folders, hospital portals, and stacks of physical documents. Every consultation began with the exhausting process of gathering, organizing, and explaining years of medical history. 

Through countless hospital visits, I met families from across India confronting the same barriers, often with far fewer resources and connections. Many struggled to understand their diagnosis, identify the right specialist, and navigate multiple hospitals while carrying the emotional and financial burden of cancer.

Those conversations made me realize that my family’s experience was not an exception; it was a reality shared by millions.

That realization inspired a larger mission and led to the creation of OncoVault. In a full-circle moment, the oncologists who helped change my mother’s treatment journey are now helping us shape the solution we are building. 

Our goal is simple: to transform fragmented medical records into a longitudinal patient timeline and help patients access the right expertise when it matters most. 

From Hospital Corridors to the U.S. Department of State

This June, I had the privilege of representing India in the U.S. Department of State’s Young South Asian Leadership Initiative (YSALI), joining a cohort of emerging leaders from across South Asia.

During my time in Nebraska and Washington, D.C., I expected to encounter vastly different realities.

Instead, I found striking similarities.

Whether in India or the United States, people often face uncertainty when making critical decisions about their care. Information is fragmented, systems can be difficult to navigate, and reaching the right expertise is not always straightforward.

Participating in discussions at the U.S. Department of State with senior government officials, policy leaders, entrepreneurs, and investors reinforced a question that has guided my work for years: how can artificial intelligence help patients make better decisions during some of the most difficult moments of their lives?

As conversations explored the future of AI in healthcare, I had the opportunity to share how we are applying these technologies and helping patients to navigate cancer care more effectively and informed.

With Shelly Seaver, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Press and Public Diplomacy

About the Author

Gaurav Kumar is the Co-founder & CEO of BigOHealth. He is an Indiaspora New Voice and alumnus of the U.S. Department of State’s Young South Asian Leadership Initiative (YSALI). His work focuses on leveraging artificial intelligence and digital technology to improve healthcare access, patient navigation, and clinical outcomes.