When Randy Madahar, owner of Kuku's Takeout & Delivery in Saanich, saw an opportunity with Tour de Rock to support his daughter who has battled with colon cancer for the last five months, he jumped at the chance.
"I just wanted to do something for her," he said.
Their family's world was changed when Shaveeta Jnagal was diagnosed on March 28, shortly after her 33rd birthday. She had Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and during a colonoscopy, she tested positive for cancer. She remembers the shock she felt when she heard the news.
"Surreal is the best word I can find to describe it. Nothing can prepare you for hearing you have cancer," she said. "It was incredibly eye-opening to actually visualize how you want your life to play out when you’re not sure if you will be given the opportunity."
Jnagal knew whatever battle was ahead, she had to "battle it with positivity," she recalled.
Before getting surgery, one thing that was important to her was to preserve her fertility in whatever way possible. The fertility clinic treated her case with urgency and for the month of June, Jnagal was on medications, underwent an egg retrieval procedure at a fertility clinic in Vancouver, and took a few weeks to recover.
When time for surgery came up, she chose the option that would eliminate any possibility of colon cancer recurrence.
"This meant the removal of my entire colon and living with a permanent ostomy bag. It was a difficult decision but I don’t regret it," she said.
The surgery was successful. Jnagal said a "win" she is taking from the situation is that she no longer has UC anymore as she no longer has a colon.
"Living with an ostomy bag is different, not bad, just different. It is actually making my life a lot easier in a lot of ways."
After the long battle of the last five months, Madahar decided to use his new food truck, Kuku's on the Run, to help fundraise for Tour de Rock at the Send-off Fundraiser on Sept. 19 at the Victoria Police Parking Lot. The fundraiser raises money for cancer research and support services at the Canadian Cancer Society, and Madahar is donating 50 per cent of his food truck proceeds to the fundraiser.
Madahar said once again he is blown away by the community support he's received, similar to how it stood by when in December 2019, a car crashed into their restaurant shutting them down for a whole year.
Now between his sponsors, Madahar said he has already raised about $3,500 for Tour de Rock.
What's next for Shaveeta Jnagal
After surgery, Jnagal was told she was cancer-free but because the cancer was more advanced than they initially thought, there could be cancer cells still floating around her body. At this point, radiation is not an option as there is no colon to target; instead, Jnagal will be starting oral chemo medication this week and continue on that treatment path for the next six months.
While she knows it will take a "good mindset" going forward, she remains grateful to the community and her family for all their love.
"They understand how far I’ve come and have yet to go, so doing this just means so much more as they are so involved in my journey. I’m really proud of them," Jnagal said.
Those who would like to support Tour de Rock, Kuku's on the Run and Madahar's family can visit 850 Caledonia Ave. on Sept. 19 from 4-8 p.m.
