IIT Madras graduate was told she had Stage 3 lung cancer. She battled brutal chemo, rebuilt her life and made it to Oxford

At just 26, Rasika Bombatkar—an IIT-Madras graduate—was on a promising career path, working as a research assistant in Tamil Nadu. A routine full-body check-up turned her world upside down. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer. The news was devastating, more so because Rasika had never smoked a day in her life. What followed was a harrowing journey of physical pain, emotional breakdowns, and an unshakable will to fight back.

The diagnosis left her numb. She couldn’t even bring herself to tell her parents and initially shared the news only with her brother, who then informed the family. In the early days, she was overwhelmed—shuffled between tests with no time to breathe. She almost gave up on treatment altogether, too emotionally drained to make any more decisions. That’s when a friend stepped in, volunteering to take over the logistics so Rasika could focus on simply surviving. With his support, she began chemotherapy.

Chemo and weight loss

The treatment was brutal. She lost 10 kilos, her skin broke out in painful rashes, and she covered up every mirror in her house just to avoid seeing herself. Some nights, she admitted, she questioned whether she could even go on. But in the quietest corners of her being—and through the relentless support of her loved ones—she kept finding reasons to push forward.

Then came the breakthrough. The tumour had shrunk. Surgery became possible. On December 15th, doctors opened her chest and removed the tumour from her lung. That moment, she said, felt like winning a battle she didn’t ask for—but one she refused to lose.

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It’s been two and a half years since that life-changing surgery. While the scars still remain, Rasika has gone on to do the unimaginable. She applied to Oxford—and got in. She’s now a graduate of one of the world’s most prestigious universities and currently works at the World Health Organisation (WHO)

According to her LinkedIn profile, Rasika Bombatkar is currently working as a Technical Advisor at the WHO. She holds a bachelor's degree in Physiotherapy, a master's in Neurophysiotherapy, and an M.Sc. in International Public Health/International Health.